Aku no Chi, The Demon Blood
by Soulblazer87
Summary: Summary: When Moka is in danger, Tsukune always came to her aid. It was believed to be her blood in him. But, what if, at the last moment, another type of blood flowed within him? A more... demonic sort of blood.
1. The Blood Ignited

_Summary: When Moka is in danger, Tsukune always came to her aid. It was believed to be her blood in him. But, what if, at the last moment, another type of blood flowed within him? A more... demonic sort of blood._

**A/N: This fic is made by me, but I own no parts of Rosario+Vampire, while from DnD I own only the class I made.**

**In this fic, I will attempt to do a minor crossover with DnD in the form of one of my homebrewed classes, the Demonblooded Warrior. So, without further ado, here is the fluff and the story. It will remain as a one-shot unless enough people demand it to become a full-fledged story of its own.**

In a world of monsters, who is to say demons are non-existent? In a world where human/monster halfbreeds exist, who can claim that human/demon halfbreeds are impossible? And, if there was, once, a human/demon crossbreed, then where did the ancestral taint vanish? How can the unforgivable sin be erased? How far into one's descendants does it reach?

A perfectly normal, extraordinarily ordinary boy, a human thrust in the world of monsters with no warning or knowledge, is about to find out. How can one man's soul withstand the ancestral taint of a demon's blood? Now, _that_, my dear readers... is what the real question is all about...

The stage is set at a warehouse where a halfblood, an outcast Ayashi named Kusabi Midou, who has used the Vampire's weakness to water in order to weaken Moka and kill her. Unfortunately for him, a rage, a demonic fury, was ignited in the heart of Tsukune and things were forever changed...

_The Blood Ignited_

Tsukune looked at Moka, fallen to her knees. He couldn't believe it. How could she ask him to leave? How could she claim he was nothing to her? How could she let this happen? Why couldn't she let him help her? Be with her as he wanted? Why? Why? WHYWHYWHY?

In a dark place, a black and red light pulsed.

_Ba-dump..._

His heart. It hurt... It hurt so much, so very much... to see her like this, on her knees, awaiting a killing blow as a bastard, a pathetic half-breed struck her on her one weakness... a weakness he was responcible for...

"No..." A whisper... harse, coarse and so low it went unheard.

The fist, monstrous and deformed came closer to Moka's body and Tsukune's heart clenched. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't act, he couldn't do anything...

It hurt... it hurt so much... it felt as if his heart would explode in his heart...

The light pulsed again...

_Ba-dump_...

The blow landed and Moka was sent flying, dumbling over debris that impaled her in three different places. She screamed, and Tsukune could barely hold on against that pain...

"HAHAHAHA!" Midou laughed. "HOW'S THAT FOR A V**AMP**IRE?"

_Ba-dump..._

The Ayashi's words were... distorted...

The light pulsed faster...

"I killed **HE**_R_!"

_Ba-dump, ba-dump..._

His world shifted in and out... his heart beat strongly... the world slowed down...

The light grew stronger as its pulse hastened more...

"I **KILLED** THAT **VAM**PIR_E WH_ORE!"

_Ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump..._

His heart ached and burned and hurt and he almost screamed out in unbearable pain...

There was no pulse any more; it was a steadily growing stronger light, black, red and _malicious_.

**"WE OUT**_CAST_ AYASHI _ARE_ _**SUPE**__**RIOR!**_ _** WE ARE UNDEFEATABLE!**_

_Ba-dump-ba-dump-ba-dump-ba-DUMP!_

Youki, raw, wild and _furious_ erupted around Tsukune, its force making Moka regain her consciousness, the Ayashi to shrink back against the surrounding walls and even reached an Exorcist and his aide, coming towards them, giving them pause at the sheer _malice_ they could feel, even miles away from the source of power.

_**"RAAAAAAARGH!"**_

Until now Moka had never quite been around a being with power to rival hers, even when her mother fought Alucard, she never quite lashed out with her power. Up until now, Moka had never really experienced the primal fear that all Ayashi come to know; that of a being as superior to them as they are to humans. It was humbling, it was a hurting blow to her pride.

Inside the veritable pillar of youki, Tsukuen battled himself.

_HATE!_

No...

_FURY!_

No...

_WRATH!_

N-No...

_DESTROY!_

N-n-no...

_HATE! FURY!_

Please... no...

_HATEFURYWRATHKILL__**DESTROY!**_

He lost.

Another rage, an all-encompasing, all-devouring, all-crushing fury exploded from his heart... and he changed.

His knes reversed direction and he almost fell. He didn't because his taibone grew to a tail, long, sinuous, made of segmented bones, spiked and bladed, tipped with a spear tip, muscle and nerves raw and uncovered by flesh on display. His arms grew and bone ripped out of his flesh, covering them in a basic armor, flaps of skin falling off from a flesh that no longer was like it, acidic blood burning them off. Fingers, once human, soft and weak turned to vicious claws, each more than eight inches long, curved and vicious. His shirt was torn to rags, skin and flesh still on it as he exploded in shards and plates of bone, protecting an ever-growing muscle that had nothing to do with any human physiology. Blood, black, viscous and foul-smelling trickled from the gaps of the plates, flying around him in a haze along with his youki. His head changed and deformed, elongating to that of a huge wolf, or maybe bear, half-open, drooling and displaying inhumanly serrated teeth, his lips gone. It too was covered by plate, making a crown around his head, protecting his neck and the back of his head. Hair changed to a silver color as they elongated to several feet in length and became spiked, protruding in every direction and becoming as rigid as a blade while maintaining the ability to bend if he so willed.

When the pillar dispersed, there was no human standing there. There was a demon, ripped out from the planes of hell and come to destroy all in its sight.

And that happened to be Kusabi Midou, who at that moment was emitting an overbearing scent of fear.

Good. He should.

The demon leapt at the stupefied Ayashi and brought him down with a crash. What followed would be engraved in the memory of all that watched on, held by morbid fascination. The demonic being clawed at Midou's chest and arm, rending them and opening his chest to the world. Again and again he clawed at him until he resembled nothing more than a slaughtered animal. But he was still alive and screaming. The demon decided to end it. He bit down on Midou's head and crushed it between its powerfull jaws, instantly killing him.

It didn't stop there. It leapt to the nearest enemy next to it and tore it in half, sending innards flying. The being snarled and roared in fury.

The Ayashi woke from their stupor, though it was more their desparate instincts to fight or flee that took control, and they tried to fight off the _thing_ they had unleashed.

Four of them leapt around the demon, their elongated limbs ready to crush it from a safe distance. It wasn't safe. The demon roared and spun its head, its hair growing out to more than two dozen feet and tearing right through the flesh and bone of the attackers, leaving them with hair-thin slashes, but so many of them they became unrecognizable.

Realizing the danger of coming even relatively close to the being, another decided to use its ability to fire off its teeth in order to attack at range. The projectiles bounced off harmlessly on the thick armor of the demon and it roared. Its mouth glowed and it spat out not saliva, but a glob of acid with pin-point accuracy, right at its attacker. The Ayashi's scream as its head and chest melted would bring nightmares to even vampires.

Moka watched in horror and abject terror as her friend, her kind-hearted friend, the one person she would always try to protect, became _that_, a demon, a murderer. A hand, covered in a cloak grabbed and, before she had time to resist, pulled her away through a hole in the warehouse walls.

As soon as she was out, abjectly noting three known faces around her in the form of Kurono Kurumu, Shirayuki Mizore and Sendo Yukari, while an awfully familiar youki stood behind her, another cloak-covered form took place in front of her. It retrieved a silver cross from some fold of its clothing and began chanting in an unknown language. In responce, a barrier surrounded the building, its soft glow indicating it to be completely separate from the world around it. But, through the cracks of the cement, one could easily see the ongoing massacre.

"M-Moka! W-w-what the hell is _that?_" Cried out Kurumu, scared and terrified. Tsukune was supposed to be along her, but they only retrieved Moka, so where was Tsukune? Where was her destined one?

"T-t-that... that... that thing is..." Moka stuttered, not even believing what she was seeing, what she had seen, the force of the youki still causing her to shiver in memory. She wasn't soft by any means, but to feel herself so completely smothered by another's presence... She just couldn't form words properly. "That... that... is... T-Tsukune..."

Disbelieving stares, cries of impossibility. Moka turned away at Kurumu's glare. "What are you talking about Moka? That _thing_... there's no way Tsukune-kun is that thing!"

The cloaked figure that had raised the barrier spoke, the voice heavy with power but also tired, maybe resigned, regretfull even. **"No... it is true. That is Tsukune-kun... To think... to think an Akuchi would exist even at this day and age... to think that one of them survived the purge... The vampire blood in him, Akashiya's blood in him, the Shinzo blood in him... it must have awakened it, ignited the remnants of the demonic taint... Things are going to become more interesting, but not necessarily in a good way..."**

At the mere mention of 'Akuchi', the person behind Moka gasped audibly, closely followed by Yukari. Both cried out "Impossible!" fear coloring their voices.

"W-what is the Akuchi?" Asked Kurumu, afraid of what that would mean.

"Akuchi... the blood of a demon... it... it comes from a half-demon diluting its blood by procreating... It becomes so diluted that no signs of it exist outwards or inwards, the bearer becomes... human or ayashi... for all intents and purposes... It lies dormant, asleep... for hundreds of years until _something_ triggers it... and then it explodes... but they were supposed to be extinct hundreds of years ago!" Now the woman's voice reached the verge of hysteria. "They were supposed to be killed, purged! Even the humans hunted them down! None has appeared in hundreds of years and all known bloodlines have been eradicated to the _last_! How? How can this be?"

The barrier-user sighed deeply. **"Not completely eradicated. In my youth, I too fought a few with the others. What terrifying monsters they had become... One of them almost rivaled Alucard in sheer power... though thankfully, it was driven quite insane by the demon within... But to think one of them survived, we had hunted them down to the last... This one seems to have even more potential than that one... Fortunately, I have something that could help seal it, even temporarily, until Tsukune-kun can control it..."**

It sounded uncertain, but it was obvious that this was the man's last hope. Didn't mean Kurumu took it lieing down. "Chotto! What do you mean 'control' it? How can he control something like _this_?"

The man sighed as he motioned for the woman behind him to reveal herself. When she did, it elicited quite a gasp at who she was, Toujou Ruby, the witch they had met and saved some time ago.

"The Aku no chi is no different than your Shinso blood Moka-san... He needs to control it or it _will_ consume him... There's only two things that can hold it back; genuine affection and true love. If he can find those two, it will strengthen his will enough to make his other personality, the demon's personality, submit. If he doesn't... he will fall, and if he does, then his very soul will be devoured by the demon within and become a raging beast like he is now, only even worse... So, the only choice is to help him control it, after he calms down from his rage that is."

The group watched the demon rampage inside the seal, tearing outcasts apart and then desecrating their very corpses, hour after hour, they sat and watched an action so horrible, so utterly malicious that Moka doubted even Alucard himself could reach.

But eventually, it came to an end, as the demon had no more to kill, no more to desecrate, no more to destroy, and slowly its rage was spent and it fell asleep, though its scent, the memory, the primal calling sign of its existence, even suppressed, remained around the newly released boy.

Tsukune didn't release his transformation, it released _him_, no longer able to sustain itself in the world. He fell to his knees, covered in blood, gore and flesh from tip to top, every inch of his bearing the marks of his actions, of his failing to reel in the eternal fury within. One word crossed his mind; Unclean. Its synonym, Impure. The opposite of 'Good', 'Kindness', 'Caring'...

He screamed. He screamed and wept as he felt, first hand, relived every memory of the massacre, knowing it was _he_ would did it, it was _he_ who slaughtered them, it was _he_ who ripped them and desecrated even their bodies. It was _he_ who was the real monster. His eyes were wide and the pupils dilated as he merely looked at his hands and wept, words coming out messed up from his throat.

A hand touched his shoulder and he reeled back. When he saw who's hand it was, a concerned Kurumu's, he reeled back even further, wallowing in self-loathing. How could she? How could she touch him, look at him in _that _way after what he had done? How... how could she touch him, soil herself with the marks, the proof, of his wickedness, his impurity, his own malicious acts?

"G-get... GET AWAY FROM ME!" He screamed as he scrambled away from her, his fear evident in his every movement. "DON'T COME CLOSER!"

Kurumu was surprised and hurt; she just wanted to help him, show him she cared. So why would he react like that? How horrible was it to... "Tsukune..."

"I... I don't! I don't want to hurt you! Please! Please leave me! Please leave me alone! Please... please just... just go..."

So that was it. He wasn't scared for himself, but _of_ himself, of hurting them. That wonderful, wonderful man, no wonder he was her destined one. Kurumu walked slowly towards him, her arms open wide, trusting him.

"It's ok Tsukune... don't worry. I know you won't hurt me, I know who you really are and I don't mind. See? You don't hurt me." Her voice was soothing, just like her mother had taught her when she was taught on how to calm others without needing to resort to their racial charm ability. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him closely to her, unconcerned with her clothes getting soaked in blood and the intestines of the murdered Ayashi. "See? It's ok Tsukune, you don't hurt me, you could never hurt me..."

It took him a few seconds to let go, but he did and hugged her back, sobbing into her arms, bawling at his lost innocense, his lost humanity, his lost chance to not be condemned to Hell for all his actions.

A few feet back, Yukari, Mizore and Inner Moka watched carefully. They all wanted to do what Kurumu did, each for their own reasons, but they were nowhere near as honest with their emotions, so they let the succubus work her magic, one of her few areas of expertise. Moka sighed tiredly, it wasn't just the water, but everything else on top of it, she was so tired she felt she would sleep for a fortnight, and knowing her softer side, she probably would. It was an easy matter to retrieve her Rosario and place it back to its place. Outer Moka stood there only for a few seconds, absorbing the memories of the past hours before she ran at Kurumu and Tsukune, her too able to express her emotions enough to help the still crying boy.

It was a relatively easy matter to give the spare cloak Ruby used to cover Tsukune, his own clothes having been torn apart in his transformation, and sneak back to the school. The Exorcist told Tsukune he could help with controlling his demonic side, but he would need a couple of days to complete preparations.

As Tsukune lay on the hospital bed, Moka, Kurumu, Yukari and Mizore around him, he fell asleep, but to a dreamless slumber, reminiscent of an endless void.

The void glowed a red and black light and a voice, a terrifyingly familiar voice reached Tsukune's very soul... _**"Welcome back, my foolish side! Time to suffer!"**_

Unheard by any of the girls, a scream pierced Tsukune's mind; a scream of utter pain and terror.

**A/N: For those intrigued, you can find the Demonblooded Warrior in the Giant In The Playground forums under my name there, which is Soulblazer87.**

In short, for those not intimate with DnD; Demonblooded Warriors are completely undisguisable from other people of their race. Nothing marks them as different. However, destiny comes knocking on their door and their rage, a demon's rage in unleashed. From that point on, they can at will transform into a demonic form with highly increased stats and various abilities that are custom-made to each character. Of course, they suffer great stigma if discovered, but in some cases they have been accepted. The demonic blood within them materializes into an NPC Inner Demon who tries to convince the character to fall to the darkness by tempting or using whatever means necessary. One can fall by following their demon too closely or staying too long in their battle form, somethig they have to do very often since apart from that form they cannot fight in any way shape or form. Mind you, even evil demonblooded do not wish to fall because doing so is to surrender their very souls to something different and become slaves to an inner demon, loosing their very identity in the meantime. The demonic side has several ways to entice the player, including gifting the player with powerful abilities that mimic those of demons and can easily be considered 'overpowered', but at the cost of acquiring unremovable Taint. When the Taint count reaches 10, the character is lost, forever.

* * *

**Today, on this 9/6/2012, I, Soulblazer87, do hereby leave this site, possibly forever.**

**I shall not update this, or any other story.**

**I shall leave them on, however. Should you desire to follow my stories, do so in my new site of residence: www dot yourfanfiction dot com.**


	2. Lessons In Fury

_Lessons In Fury_

Tsukune awoke with a gasp. Phantom pains wracked his body as he tried to get his breathing under control. Around him, four Ayashi girls ran to his side, trying to comfort him, each with their own, unique way.

In other words, Moka tried to rub his back while Kurumu tried to suffocate him on her chest while Yukari spoke about being the meat in a vampire/demon sandwich and Mizore deciding to make the ruckus stop by promptly freezing everyone solid.

Well, it _did_ soothe his aching muscles.

Ruby walked in slowly, somberly, still not believing that the kind-hearted Tsukune, the boy that saved her humanity back at the Witch's Hill could possibly contain something like _that_. It was unbelievable, and yet she had no choice but to believe it.

The boy panted on the bed in what could only be remnants of the worst tortures imaginable. Poor boy, to have something like this thrust on his shoulders, just when things seemed to go relatively well...

Kurumu and Moka tried to console the boy a bit more while Mizore, ever helpful and calm, brought him a glass of cool water.

"Are you alright Tsukune-san?" Asked the older witch, after she extracted herself from Yukari's hug.

"Y-yeah... somehow... I... I just can't believe it... It... It's still inside me... I can still feel it... This is nothing like my other vampire transformations..."

It was then that it crossed their minds; the poor boy didn't even know what was going on inside him. He knew nothing and so it must have been even harder for him.

"That... that's because it wasn't a vampire transformation..." Spoke Moka hesitantly. "That... wasn't caused by my blood... It was... it was caused by yours... You... Tsukune-san is a... Headmaster said you are 'Akuchi'... supposedly you have remnants of the blood of a powerful demon inside you somehow and... m-my b-blood... strengthened that blood... enough so you could 'ignite' it in a sense and... transform at will..."

"So... so I'm... I'm a monster now?" He didn't use the words 'ayashi' or 'youkai' though, he instead used the word 'bakemono'... a dangerous, uncontrolled, evil monster. "I... I can... I can feel it... It... it _calls_ to me... tells me to kill you... I... I'm so _scared_!"

What an admission both sides of Moka wondered. Tsukune might be kind hearted and meek, but even he had pride. To admit that he was scared of something, when he didn't admit it against _her_ or even before Kuyou's overwhelming might. It must have been quite some blow to the youth's pride. Kurumu's and Mizore's thoughts followed the same basic pattern, only more open-minded than Moka; they had felt fear before, they had met beings who were so much superior than they, they could sympathize with him.

"N-no, of course not!" Jumped Kurumu, ready to defend him. "You're Tsukune-kun. Just like always! Only now, you are much stronger than before. Besides, we trust you completely Tsukune! We know you'd never hurt us, you're too kind to do that, even with a demon inside you. I think it's pretty manly that you can actually hold it back!"

Well, expected reaction from a succubus to turn anything into a sexual innuendo, but they agreed. Even if Tsukune didn't.

"I-I see. Thank you Kurumu-chan, everyone, for believing in me. B-but... could I have some time alone? I... I want to think for a bit."

It was an acceptable request. After all even if the girls had had days to think about it, he had only woken up from several days of unconsciousness, where his body had to adapt to its new power of transformation. When they left, Tsukune made sure they were out of the room before he released the iron-clad control over himself. The next several hours were passed in weeping and sobs, riddled with fear and terror. In his mind he could still hear _it_, taunting him, reminding him how weak, how pathetic he was. How he would never be able to hold him back.

So, Tsukune made a choice; he'd never use it again, that demonic power. After all, they had Moka on their side, he wouldn't have to use that power ever again.

What wishful thinking.

It took him quite a bit of time to compose himself, but Tsukune did it in the end. Wiping his face and making sure he had no obvious marks of his weakness, he got dressed and got ready to leave the hospital room. After all, he had completely healed.

When he got outside, he met up with the rest of his friends, even Gin had come to help him get over it, and began walking the familiar grounds of the Academy. Tsukune put up a good front, he really did. But he couldn't hide it from them, his pain, his sorrow, his fear. Even when awake the demon wouldn't leave him alone. It whispered dark words to his mind, urged him to let loose, to unleash the fury within. Why did he consider them his friends anyway? After all, were it not for them, nothing would have happened, he would have lived a normal, peaceful life, without people trying to kill him at every step... Without 'friends' that saw him as a walking meal or reproductive method.

And, as much as he wanted to deny the demon, he knew he couldn't. For, as much as he might love his friends, he could not deny to have several feelings of dislike to each and every one of them.

Kurumu who only loved him because he didn't let Moka kill her after she tried to make him her obedient slave.

Yukari, the ever-annoying witch who almost got him killed with her stupid pranks.

Mizore, who almost killed him too when he didn't immidiately claim to love her.

Ruby, who repeatedly tried to kill him.

Gin, who disgraced and almost killed him in his pursuit after some skirt.

And Moka... dear, dear sweet Moka. The girl with two sides, not giving him a definite answer for anything. The soft, pink-haired one would accidentaly crush his spine by hugging him on the morning and then proceed to suck his blood almost completely, seeing him as a friendly breakfast. The proud, red-eyed one would berate and look down on him as if he were something she wouldn't scrape off the soles of her shoes, glare at him for not following her unvoiced, irrational demands, demands he didn't even know about considering that he was a _human_.

Yes, he might love them dearly, but he always held a great amount of anger towards them, even if he would never admit it. His Inner Demon though? He had no problem putting a name and a face at every feeling of anger, no problem bluntly telling him who's fault it was every time they got into yet another unreal, life-threatening situation.

Tsukune snarled at the tree in front of him. It was bestial and furious and angry and _inhuman_. His fist landed on the treebark, and it shattered under the force of the unnatural strike.

"Damn it..." He cursed.

When he walked back to his dorm room, he never noticed two pairs of glowing white eyes observing his every motion.

Several days later, Tsukune was making his way to the Newspaper club. Moka and the others had gone off to do something together. If he were to guess, it would be another hair-brained scheme of Kurumu to sell more papers. Something that involved an unhealthy amount of visible skin.

Walking through the corridors, depressed and melancholic, wishing for the days when things were simpler, when he wouldn't blame his friends, when he didn't have a demon in his own blood, Tsukune heard a piercing wail, a piercing scream.

Now, normally, he didn't pay attention to such things, especially lately. No human would believe how many banshees lived in the Academy, and one could hear their screams any day of the week, on any place of the campus. But the problem was, he _did_ recognize that voice.

Moka.

Tsukune's bag fell to the floor, but he didn't even realize it, he had already bolted towards her.

He ran, ran desperately, ran as fast as he could, ran faster than his human form should ever have allowed in the past.

When the scream came again, he was only going to make the last turn.

He made the turn and his demon form roared in agreement, in preparation for battle.

There, just ahead of him, three figures lay on the ground, hurt, bruised, blodied... defeated.

Next to them, several other figures, with non too friendy intentions, held another figure in the air, by her neck.

None of the girls nor their attackers realized what happened, but suddenly, the one who was holding Moka in the air by her throat suddenly found himself flying the other way, an enraged boy standing just next to the now-falling pink-haired girl, his eyes taking a baleful blood-red glow. Not just the iris, but the entirety of the eye was a blood red color, the only thing visible being a black slit in the middle. A demon's eyes.

"What the fuck do you want ya bastard?" Screamed one of the bravest attackers, one who _hadn't_ seen Tsukune's face. "We were just gonna kill these bitches and then leave you fucking weaklings alone! Now we're gonna hav'ta kill ya bastards!"

Tsukune had ignored him for the most part, instead choosing the grab Moka before she fell to the ground. He set her down slowly, tenderly.

His heart beat loudly in his ears.

His very blood burned as it demanded retribution.

His sight went red as he wanted to do nothing but rip these bastards to pieces.

"The fuck you're ignorin' me huh?" Screamed the intruding ayashi before launching a powerful haymaker.

A haymaker that stopped dead before it landed.

By a human's thin hand.

A hand that seemed to bulge and deform, as if something was moving just behind the skin.

And then came Tsukune's voice. Cold, deadly, lethal... the voice of a true monster, not a half-blood trying to show off.

"I get it now... I see it... my mission, my purpose... To protect them... Yes, that's what I'll do." Spoke Tsukune, grave determination visible in his being as he held the Ayashi's attack off with one arm. And arm that began to bulge and disform slightly the more Tsukune held it. "Even if I have to give everything up for them... even if I have to sacrifice my own soul... I will protect them all...Because, that is my calling... Protecting them isn't a burden, IT'S AN HONOR I AM UNWORTHY OF!"

Because, in the small amount of time it took for Tsukune to come to the rescue of the pink-haired girl and the others, he had remembered.

He had remembered what happened.

Remembered his adventures, remembered his life. Remembered who he was. Not who he was supposed to be, but what his heart really called to him.

Because, no matter what anyone said, Tsukune _cared_, he cared a lot. And if someone wanted to hurt his friends... well, they'd have to meet his _other side_.

Youki exploded outwards, forming a pillar that obstructed his mutating form from the sight of others. Behind the veil, Tsukune's hands had turned to rapidly growing claws, his nails actually pushed off by the growing bones and falling to the ground. His own hands tore his skin along with his clothes as he roared in inhuman fury, as he made his wrath known and felt. A tail burst from his tailbone, long, sinuous, spiked, bladed, segmented, with strips of muscle obvious and uncovered. Bones erupted from flayed skin, covering him in plated armor, jagged spikes making it even more terrifying and dangerous than it would otherwise be. His face deformed, elongated and bone plates covered the vulnerable parts of his exposed flesh, making a crown like that of a triceratops to protect the back of his neck. Teeth, serrated and curved let acid drip from the non-existent lips. Hair, once a gentle chestnut color, now had turned to a harsh bone-white, maybe even silver color, rivulets of black blood marring its near waist length.

Then the _demon_ roared again, this time in anticipation of slaughter, and he fell upon the terrified monsters.

On the roof of a nearby building, Mikogami looked on at the ongoing slaughter, his aide looking justifiably horrified at the spectacle.

**"And that is why noone should try to hurt an Akuchi's friends and family..."** Mikogami's voice startled Ruby.

"H-Headmaster?"

**"Because their sanity is so precarious, because it is so unbelievably hard to control themselves, those bearing the Aku no Chi desperately latch on to something in order to protect their soul. Be it an ideal or a person. Huhuhu... Moka-san and the others have no idea how well protected they are. Few things can match the protection granted by a determined Akuchi... Even a mother's feelings towards her children would have a hard time rivaling it. After all, a mother desires to protect her children subconsciously, a command ingrained into her for the purposes of reproduction. But an Akuchi is different... they consciously, willingly devote their entire beings in the protection of someone, or something. That is exactly why they are such terrifying enemies; once their charge has been threatened, they will not even perceive danger to themselves, or pain, or wounds. They will fight ruthlessly and destructively until one of two things happen; either all their enemies die or their charge themself tells them to stop. And with Tsukune-kun's special circumstances..."**

"S-special circumstances?"

**"Kukuku... Moka-san's blood is still inside him. It fights his transformation, limiting his power but at the same time expanding his limits. His demonic transformation is now weakened because of the vampiric blood, but it will come out even stronger because of it, and with how the demon's blood is used, it can even become more powerfull. If I were to say, I believe all of Tsukue's children could gain a stable Aku no Chi bloodline, associated with vampires rather than demons. It could be the dawn of a new race. After all, Tsukune-kun wasn't gifted with merely vampiric blood, but with the blood of a Shinso, a Super Vampire, direct blood-inheritor of Alucard's greatest source of power. Truly, things will become so much more interesting... Don't you agree Ruby-kun?"**

The witch could not answer.

Tsukune's claws ripped through one Ayashi before his tail went and stabbed another, impaling it through the skull, killing it instantly. Its friend died just as quickly from a blast of acid that melted his chest in seconds.

Screams littered the air, painting it as vividly as the now red earth beneath the demon's feet, as roughly as the bodies that were dismembered or melted beyond identification, not only of facial identification but even as racial.

The last one left was the one that had insulted the girls, the young demon's friends. He stumbled back as his instincts screamed at him to beg for mercy, screamed at him to fight, screamed at him to flee, screamed at him to take his own life away to make it less painful. But he could do neither. He could only watch as the near 10feet tall monster, no _demon_, walked towards him with what could only be described as torturous malice in its eyes. Eyes that held no pity, no sorrow, no regret for what it was going to do, only an unimaginable _joy_ in ripping another enemy apart.

Tsukune, in his demonic form grabbed the Ayashi by the neck, much how he had wanted to do to Moka minutes ago. It looked at him closely at the face, as if memorizing its features, sniffed at him, shook him a few times. And then, then the face contorted into the most malicious version of an evil grin one could think possible.

The tail came from below and the restrained monster could only scream in abject pain as it impaled him through the genitals, into his stomach, through both his kidneys, came out from under his ribcage and turned around before impaling him _yet again_, coming out from his stomach and wrapping around his waist securely. The blades and serrations of the blade had made it excrutiatingly painful. They had scrapped and torn and ripped through almost all his internal organs like perfectly sharpened claws through wet paper. He couldn't help but scream in pain.

The demon only chuckled at him. Then, using the tail to hold him up, Tsukune grabbed his prey by both arms and spread them open, not bothering to reign in his supernatural strenth, strength that drove his wicked claws into the soft skin of his target, strength that turned bone to shards and powder. Then, he began pulling. He pulled the arms to the side and the tail downwards. He pulled and tugged harshly, enjoying the tortured screaming of his prey, the one who attacked what was _his_.

Then, the demon's _toy_ broke. The arms were ripped off their sockets with an unholy tearing sound, the tail constricted strong enough to turn the insides to formless meat. Before the tortured monster could let its last breath go, though not before it had screamed its lungs out, Tsukune brought down his oversized, wolf/bear jaws on the poor soul's head and _crushed_ it.

The remnants of the cause of his anger fell to the ground in a thud and Tsukune turned around, walking towards his wounded friends. Moka, the only one still conscious, flinched at his motions.

It took her a second to realize how much that hurt the boy when the pain, the anguish, the pure torture of what he had done, of what he had showed them, the regret of them having seen that side of him etched itself deeply even into the malformed face. Moka, both sides of her, could only pray to never having to understand the pain he must have felt at that moment, so much to have made a face utterly incapable of human expressions take such a tortured look.

Tsukune turned around almost immidiately and ran off, ran to his dorm room to get a change of clothes. That is what he said, what he convinced himself. But the truth is, he wanted to run. Run away. Run away from his own reflection on Moka's green eyes. Run away from her sorrowful eyes. Run away from the eyes that looked at him as if pleading him to never transform again. Because, he knew he could not stop now. Now, he had _power_. Real power. Enough power to protect them. And, if saving them, if letting them live one more moment in peace and happiness, if that meant him loosing his soul... then so be it. So let it be.

The demon inside could only laugh maliciously at its host's thoughts. Those humans made it _so_ interesting to play with. His thoughts might have been iron-clad, but everyone had a weak point. Everyone. And he just so _happened_ to know Tsukune's.

The brown-haired boy would not gain a single moment of restful sleep that night. He was too busy trying to maintain his sanity against his Inner Demon's assault.

**A/N: After popular request (or so I think since less than half a dozen people bothered reviewing), I decided to make this into a full-fledged story. It won't be 'epic' in length, but I think that's better, since I won't be dragging it by the hair to make it last or something. If I were to say, it's going to be mid-to-long, but that's just my opinion. Also, unlike my other fics where I make the story as I go, I have already determined and set the basic points of the story. Now, getting there is a whole other game of ball. Hopefully it's going to be fun and interesting, though if someone is interested, they can adopt this story or make their own version of it.**

**For the fans of DnD who want to have a basic idea of what Tsukune can do, I have his basic stats here. No, I'm not listing his abilities and skills, just his feats, the demonic features he has and his natural attacks. I think you'll agree with my assessment of him being seriously dangerous:**

**Aono Tsukune, Human, Demonblooded level 6**

**Feats: Extra Demonic Features (Human), Extra Demonic Features (level 1, 6), Improved Critical (Claw) (level 3)  
Demonic Features: Enhanced (Claw) Damage x2, Keen Natural Weapon (Claw), Size Increase, Enhance (Tail) Damage, Keen Weapon (Claw), Reach Weapon (Tail), Energy Blast (Acid), Fast Healing (2), Maiming (Claw) Weapon, Second Attack (Claw)**

**Taint: 0**

**Claw: 2 attacks at +6 BAB, 2D6 slashing, 15-20/x3, reach 5ft.**

**Tail: 1 attack at +5 BAB, 1D10 piercing/slashing, 19-20/x2, reach 10ft.**

**I think he deserves a quite high ranking when it comes to killing stuff eh?**

**Also, please people, if you like this fic, review and tell others to as well. Reviews feed my Lady Inspiration, which in turn helps me make better fics. I'm not gonna be a rev-whore and threaten you or something, but the more reviews I get, the better and faster I write, not to mention I know what to shoot for when it comes to what you want to read. So, for all of our enjoyment, if you feel you have something to say, please do so.  
**

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**Today, on this 9/6/2012, I, Soulblazer87, do hereby leave this site, possibly forever.**

**I shall not update this, or any other story.**

**I shall leave them on, however. Should you desire to follow my stories, do so in my new site of residence: www dot yourfanfiction dot com.**


	3. Ingrained In Blood

_Ingrained In Blood_

Shuzen Akuha smiled as she saw her subordinate enter and bow to the floor. What a pathetic creature it was, disfigured and ugly even in its 'disguised' form. But it had its uses. As a spy. Able to sneak into any barrier, gain all sorts of information. Not that the being was smart enough to do anything right with that, that's why it worked under a Dark Mistress like herself.

"Report."

"Hai, Akuha-sama. The words are true. There _is_ an Akuchi in Mikogami's dimension. The target's name is Aono Tsukune. Madam? It... it also appears he is a close friend of Akashiya Moka..."

"Oh me, oh my, now that is an interesting tidbit of information. Well done my spy. You may go, you are released for today."

The spy left happily, not wanting to give her enough time to reconsider giving him the day off.

Back in her office, the dark-haired vampiress chukled. Finally, finally someone she could _use_! How powerful, how absolutely terrifying would House Shuzen be with an Akuchi under her command? How much power would come her way? Unbelievable!

She got up slowly, regally, and made her way to the safe behind her. She punched in her special code and entered.

It was empty. For the most part.

In the center, surrounded by dozens of seals and talismans was a glowing red stone. A stone that even suppressed with more talismans than any other city in Japan could ever claim to possess, still emanated a malice palpable to even humans. Its destructive, vile powers radiated off it like a minature, dark, sun. Akuha smirked as she looked at it, the stone that could corrupt even angels. A sesshouseki, literally meaning 'stone of malice'. A stone composed solely of malice, evil intent and youki. A stone that was diametrically opposed to anything that even considered the very existence of 'kindness' as anything above dirt. Akuha could only stare at it in longing.

She would have that Akuchi, and it would serve her willingly. She would make sure of it.

"Now..." She began slowly. "Let's see how far I can push my foolish little sister... let's see if she can _really_ hold on to her pathetic beliefs..."

Back in Youkai Gakuen, thins were changing and not necessarily for the good part, at least not for everyone.

Tsukune found it very hard to maintain a positive outlook, knowing what he had done, what he could do at any moment. After all, he had only meant to beat the attackers, black and blue perhaps, but definitely not kill them. But... every time he remembered Moka getting strangled slowly by one of them... every time he looked at Kurumu and remembered her form prone on the ground... every time he recalled how fragile Yukari looked with her wand broken and clothes torn... when he would see Mizore, her pale skin unnaturally so...

Something stirred inside him and it wasn't nice. It was evil, malicious and very hard to resist, very hard to find a reason to resist.

But he was not the only one troubled. Neither of the girls came out unscathed by the ordeal. None of them had needed Moka to tell them what happened; one look at the dismembered corpses and it became _painfully_ obvious what had occured.

They were all so torn... Even Kurumu, the ever persistent and optimistic Kurumu.

Mizore watched him even more closely now than before. She watched over him almost all the time, almost as much as she could while making sure she didn't arouse suspicion. And she didn't know what to think.

She had falled in love with someone like her, someone who saw the world as a weak person, someone who was weak, like her. But now... Now Tsukune was strong, terrifyingly so. He had power in spades but had not the slightest amount of control. Not if he could do such things. After all, noone as kind-hearted as Tsukune would willingly do _that_to another being. And yet he had done. Which begged the question, which was the true Tsukune? Who was he really? How had he changed? What would happen to him?

It was only a single thread of thought that reminded her of why she really fell for him; he was alone, just like her. In the begining, it was his weakness that caused his loneliness. But now, ironically, it was his _strength_that caused it. It was his unholy power, that malicious fury that made everyone steer clear of them, even subconsciously.

So what could she do? What should she do?

Watch over him, she decided. As he watched over her, so would she watch over him. She would lend him the strength he lacked until he could control the demon within. She would silently observe him and aid him when he needs it. She would love him in her own, special way. After all, it wasn't a different Tsukune really, just one with more burdens on him. If she couldn't help him shoulder them, then how could he hope to cope with them alone? Her lack of direct approach damned her.

Kurumu was of much a similar thought. Though she may never show it, she had been afraid when she first approached him. She had been so afraid, she didn't even know how she could have done it. Maybe the adrenaline, maybe the repressed feelings of love and care, maybe her Destined One needing her. Maybe all of them, maybe something else. She didn't know. All that she knows is that when he cried on chest, she wept with him. She saw him at his weakest, she saw him when he was broken, when he was defeated. And she'd be damned if she'd ever let him feel like that.

She was Kurono Kurumu, seductress extraordinaire and a succubus. But, more importantly, she was a person in love, and love knows no bounds, no barriers, recognizes no threats. Many things could be said about the petite, blue-haired girl, but some of them always were 'determined', 'emotional', 'loving'... Few actually knew that she was also 'brave', for she was willing to fight anything, face off any enemy, no matter how corporeal, just to be with the one she likes.

She is, after all, Kurono Kurumu, and she refuses to loose to anyone, even if it's a demon inside her beloved. She would be with him, every step of the way, helping him as much as she could, giving him the strength he lacked, shouldering his burden when she could. Succubae fell in love rarely, but when they did, there were few beings that could ever reach the heights of their emotions. It was her inability of leaving him a room to breathe that damned her.

The little witch of the group however was terrified. She knew more than any of them, after all. But she also forgot that she was the youngest of them as well. She was barely eleven, just now opening her eyes to the world, just now begining to question what others would say. Just now realizing that things were different than what she imagined, that things weren't always as written in books.

It terrified her.

To know that things were not as she knew them. It scared her. To see Tsukune, the boy she wanted to be under when in her 'vampire sandwitch', become _that_... It terrified her.

She often had to rethink why she was there. Why she spent time with him. And her doubts were visible in her eyes. There, every time she looked away from him. Every time she hesitated to look at him closely. Every time she grasped her wand reassuringly when he got too close.

She was a scared child, a scared witch. And the most terrifying being she had ever met was her friend, and one she had once considered possible lover.

She knew her actions hurt the brown-haired boy. She knew it and yet she could not stop it, could not stop alienating herself from him. Because she was so, _so_ scared of him. Of what he could be. Of what he could turn into. The eternal question of _'Am I going to be next?'_ dominating her genius mind. And, as much as part of her may claim that he would never hurt her, there was another part of her that screamed at her to run away from him, hide and forget. Barricade the doors, seal the windows, set up protective charms and hide under her blanket. Her fear damned her.

She was eleven after all. Something that, due to her constant shows of genius mind, was so often forgotten...

The one most split however was Moka, the girl of green and red, pink and silver. The sealed vampire. Both sides of her had their doubts, both sides of her couldn't even come to terms with the going ons.

On one side, the outer form of Akashiya Moka, pink hair and green eyes, kind, caring... some would even say naive. Where she once thirsted for Tsukune's blood, now she had not taken of his blood for two days. She had not even asked. She was so scared, of what he was, of what he had been. Would his blood change with it as well? Would his blood signify his transfiguration into a demon? Or would his blood remain the same as ever, sweet and tasty, restoring her belief in his humanity? After all, a vampire could taste almost anything within another's blood, even their race or if they had come into contact with a certain person if the vampire was skilled enough. But... she was so scared to learn. So scared that her hopes would be dashed. So scared that her good friend Aono Tsukune had been devoured by the demon, crushed under the malicious taint of a power he should not have the burden of carrying inside.

The other side was the inner form, the silver-haired, red-eyed Super Vampire, proud and regal. She would not admit it, but she had come to like Tsukune. As a friend, as a companion. As someone who would look at both her forms with the same kind smile. Extend both sides of her the same offer of friendship. And yet she was so conflicted. On one hand, she wanted him to get stronger, strong enough to stand at her side. Strong enough for her to be proud of him. But... on the other hand... if _that_was the price he would have to pay, wasn't he off much better left weak? She cursed herself repeatedly. If only she hadn't given him her blood, if only she had never fought these enemies, made all these wrong choices. If only... if only... But wishes could not change the world and Moka could only try to fix her mistakes. For it had been a mistake. In her bid for companionship, she had pushed things too hard, too fast. She had no illusions; if it wasn't for the demonic blood inside him, Tsukune would have become a Ghoul. Damed on one, damned on the other. How could she face him then, when it was her actions that brought this burden to him? How could she ever see him like that? And it was her other side that troubled her as well, her prideful side that demanded her to fight him and rip him, destroy him for insulting her pride, for daring to think himself stronger than her, for making her scared before another enemy.

They were both so conflicted. Neither side could help the other. Neither side could comfort the other. It is in thatconfusion, in his lack of communication that caused them more problems in the future. Because, they knew that if they spoke with each other, they woud find a way out of their conundrum. But, for their own reasons each, neither side spoke to the other. And their silence damned them.

Rumours went around the school now.

Rumours about a powerful ayashi, one that could fight dozens of enemies and not even get hurt. And that Ayashi was Aono Tsukune, his true form. The terrifying, oppressive, malicious force that had brought them nightmares a couple of days ago had been Tsukune.

It didn't help that he no longer smiled, that the rest of his 'harem' no longer joked as much as they did. As if something had pushed their bonds to breaking point.

At least they were smart enough to not attempt to push any of them; strained may their bonds be, but broken they were not.

But, when it came to Tsukune, many eyes narrowed, many people changed direction. Many now avoided him. Because of rumours. Rumours that were as true as they were unbelievable.

And their inaction damned the boy to solitude. To a lonely battle for his own sanity.

But, meanwhile, there was another who was concerned about the Aono boy.

The Exorcist.

He might be ruthless, but he wasn't evil. He might scheme, but above all he cared for his Academy and every student in it.

So, when Tsukune began changing, his plans, his carefully laid plans about the slow and steady unification of the Ayashi and Human worlds were sent askew. All he could hope for now was salvage what he could while making it as safe as possible. But for that to happen... a lot of measures had to be taken. One of them being an alteration to the sealing item he had prepared for the boy's eventual transformation into a Ghoul. Only, now he hadn't turned into a Ghoul but into an Akuchi. Which meant he had to change and adapt. Thankfully, Mikogami was nigh immortal and his age had gifted him with immense patience and wisdom.

So, first step; modify the lock and give it to the boy. He would then consider the Headmaster one more important person, a person to be protected for fear of loosing his sanity. Second step; Demonblooded that refused to fall to their vile urges were known to take certain things as 'charges' and protect them. Currently, he only had a few people, but relationships could mess things up. So, the Headmaster was aiming to make sure to get Tsukune further involved with the Academy, enough to make the boy set the Academy as a whole as his charge. Then, the danger of damaging it would be nullified. Third step; find some way to train the boy. An untrained Akuchi was much easier to submit to their Inner Demon, so he needed training in both mind and body. After all, there were few monsters able to go against an Akuchi, so why waste such a valuable resource?

It was his scheming that would damn the Exorcist.

But the future is not the present and the world waits for none. So, the white-robed priest worked double time to fix the mess Fate had wrought to his plans. A few more spells, a few more hours of painstaking work, and the new and improved Holy Lock would be complete. And what an improved version it was; it would keep the side effects of the conflicting blood to a minimum as well as expediate the solution to their conflict, not to mention aid them in combining rather than eradicating each other. But at the same time, it would partially mute Tsukune's Inner Demon, help the boy at least get some sleep. Fighting yourself isn't something done without at least enough rest to recover.

In another room, hidden from sight and observation, two figures, cloaked in shadows spoke and their voices were cold and harsh. "Kiria... I want you to check on Aono's limits. I want them discovered. Also, put some strain on his little merry band of fools. We may easily recruit him to our side if we can make them see things our way."

"Alright, I hope it won't be boring though. What about you?" Asked the figured identified as Kiria. "Still playing everyone for fools?"

"Of course, did you expect any less from me? They are all so blinded by their perception of safety. We will shatter it... and them with it."

The plan was made, the cover laid in place. In Youkai Gakuen, trouble came unannounced. Few paid attention to the shiver down their spines, but the ones who did trained all the harder for the upcoming struggle.

In the meantime however, Tsukune was called to the Headmaster's office. Once arriving there, he was quite surprised to see the Exorcist sitting on the great leather chair. Left and right of the entrance, but outside the room, were a pair of bodyguards. Tsukune had to force himself to not reply to their growls of challenge and go berserk on them.

Once he entered, he bowed slightly, putting Ruby's lessons of etiquette to good use, as he waited for the man to speak.

**"Ah, Aono Tsukune-san... you are finally here. Come closer, we have a lot of work to do, first of if being the sealing of your... special abilities."**

"No." Was the boy's answer, which caused the Exorcist a bit of obvious surprise. Deciding to enlighten the man on his choices, Tsukune continued. "No, I don't want them sealed, I want them _cotrolled_. I... I finally have power. And I am going to use it to protect them. So, even if that power is evil, if I have to, I _will_ use it to protect them. Sealing that ability is out of the question!"

**"Now, now, Aono Tsukune-san, when did I ever claim to completely seal these powers off? That would be such... a waste of resources, don't you agree? No, I am going to seal it partially, making it easy to control and manage. But you must be careful, this seal is... experimental... in a sense, since there is no other Akuchi by who to run it by... So, you must be careful not to over-strain it, it may very well be dangerous. For everyone..."** Of course, the Exorcist cut off the part where he'd have the vampiric blood integrate itself with Tsukune's own demonic bloodline, thereby hopefully changing it. The boy would surely not take well to such manipulations, and he needed the boy on his side.

"I... I see... Will I be able to take it off? As a safeguard I mean. If... if I have to... to give my soul to the demon, can I take it off?"

**"Of course. If it comes to it, then yes, you can take it off, but it would take some time. A safety measure just in case..."**

Tsukune just offered his hand in agreement, knowing he needed the Exorcist more than he was needed. The Headmaster then retrieved a weird chain from his robe; it was black and gold, each link filled with a golden cross inlaid in silver and black metal. It was a work of art that ended in a heavy padlock. The chain was wrapped around the offered hand and the lock 'clicked' close. The change was immidiately obvious in the boy; he felt his body weakening back to his normal 'human' level, the demonic whispers withdraw a bit, but not completely. At least, he would be able to sleep now, or so he hoped.

**"There, complete. You should still be able to transform, but make sure to reel in your Demon side, if it shatters the lock, it would cause many problems, and I **_**won't**_** have problems in my school. Which brings us to the second matter at hand... Aono Tsukune-san... I may be forced to expel you soon..."**

"What? Why the hell would you do that?" Tsukune's cry of outrage did its job well in hiding his fear. His fear of being away from his friends, away from everyone, everyone who held his demon at bay... Of not being able to protect them. "If you send me away, I won't be able to protect them!"

The Exorcist turned around and readied himself for the unavoidable confrontation. **"Yes... you want to protect them. So you should be able to understand my position as well. After all, what you do for these girls I do for my school. Sure you understand this, don't you? I will protect this school and every student in it with the same ferocity as you do for your own, though what we consider protection may be different. In other words, if you presence here becomes a danger to my school, I won't hesitate to expel or destroy you, as much as I may be loathe to do so. You are after all a student. But the truth is, I may not have much choice in the matter. Despite your Divine Lock, your aura still bears hints of your alternate form. And there are many more things going on. Latest of which a case of vandalism which is forcing my hand. If that incident was resolved, I would be able to keep you here, but the perpetrator is very skilled. Understand my position Aono Tsukune-san... I have many powerful individuals pressing me due to the constant incidents. If someone could... resolve these things, I would be able to keep you here, but if that doesn't happen... Then to protect the many, I may have to sacrifice the one..."**

Tsukune _snarled_ at the man, his fury reaching great heights, for once without the help of his demonic side. Just when he needed stability the most, just when he needed to be left alone to figure things, _himself_, out, something like this happens. Damn it all to the nine layers of hell...

"Do you know who it is? Or any hints really? We could solve this. We _will_ solve this."

**"I have a few hints, yes, but it is too fast an enemy to catch. It is an Outcast Ayashi, specifically from Anti-thesis, a... gathering... that seeks to unbalance the human and Ayashi worlds. Also, he seems to be targeting the Newspaper Club and the upcoming Festival. And with how many people will be here... the pressure is getting too much to hold back..."**

"I see..." Tsukune bowed respectfully, as much as he might want to punch the man's lights out for insinuating he would be pulled from _them_ and took his leave. His mind though was racing a mile a second with how to resolve that incident and stay with his friends.

On his way out, Tsukune decided to go to the roof. It always helped him think, clear his thoughts and calm down. Even when the demon's words cajoled him into violence, looking at the calm sky calmed him, so he decided to rest there for a bit, lest he accidentaly lashes out against someone innocent.

"Goddamit... Why of all times... why did they have to do this now..." Whispered the distraught boy as he pushed his rising bloodlust down.

"Oh, you seem to be quite worried, Aono Tsukune. Why the long face? Someone stepping on your toes?"

The voice was unrecognized, mainly because he had never seen that person before. It was a teenage punk if Tsukune had to guess; foregoing the school uniform, mid-calf trousers with a slit going up to the knee and slippers. And a bottle of graffiti on his hands.

"Ooh, don't tell me you have problems with the rest of your Newspaper club. After all it's like graffiti, another medium to spread and control information. We could use this Aono Tsukune-san."

"You... I am in no mood for games, _punk_... Get out of my sight before I take my anger on you. Antithesis or not, I am in no mood for petty fights. Leave us alone."

"Or else what? Besides, I don't care about you. Our group, Antithesis, is targeting you due to a certain person. Besides, you have already taken out Midou... No way we're letting you off that lightly!"

The Ayashi's legs began to deform and take a different shape, like long, bladed and sleek roller skates, though roller blades was a more apt description.

"So it's you... Sorry about that, but I'm going to take you out."

Despite Tsukune's words however, his body had been significantly weakened by the sealing of his demonic power. His human body was nowhere near the sheer amount of power a demonically infused one was, moreso with Moka's blood working to enhance his body further, just one step from becoming a Ghoul. So it came as no surprise when the hybrid Ayashi began dashing around Tsukune, unleashing laceration upon laceration on the brown-haired boy's body.

"Hmph, so slow! I could kill you five times in a row!" And he was going to do exactly that, when a female, desperate voice stopped him, just inches from Tsukune's neck.

"STOP! Leave him alone! please! He... Tsukune is getting expelled! Because of your madness, he's getting expelled! So, please, stop this!"

"Oh, so that's why you were down eh? No matter, I'll kill her too, after all we've already decided to destroy you all, Newspaper Club brats!"

"No, stop it!" Tsukune ordered the Hybrid, but it did little to stop him from getting ready to dash to the scared Akashiya Moka.

"As if you could stop me, slowpoke!" And he was off.

Tsukune ran, he desperately ran towards her, wanting to protect his first, and most precious friend.

But the lock sealed his powers away and he couldn't transform in time to protect her.

_'Damnit... he's going to kill her! Damnit! No! I won't let! Move! MOVE!'_

And he _moved_. A link in his Divine Lock cracked as Tsukune called part of his warring blood to infuse his body with supernatural power. He became a blur and landed in front of the scared girl, arms wide to save her.

But noone could save him from the lashing leg blades of his assailant. Moka could only watch in horror as Tsukune was repeatedly slashed, viciously, by the attacking Ayashi, the _laughing_ attacking Ayashi. Something snapped inside her. Some part of her, the sealed part of her _snarled_, and the mere look on her face gave the attacker pause, causing him to leap back.

Tsukune fell backwards, his mind already going black. A green-eyed pink-haired face, a face he would recognize anywhere, came into his fading view and he tried to reach for her, touch her one last time. Her tears tore his heart but he couldn't hold on. His hand fell limb, just an inch before touching her, and he lost his consciousness.

But, when it fell, it touched something, a silver something, a silver cross connected to a rosario on a leather choker around the girl's neck.

With a barely audible click, the cross was removed and blood-red youki bathed the area, causing the attacker to leap back. He should have ran.

When Moka turned to see him, her face belied nothing short of raw, animalistic fury. All the emotions, the hurtful, festering emotions in her heart, about her failure to protect Tsukune, her resentment about her broken pride every time he transformed... seeing her beloved friend wounded for her, suffering wounds that he wouldn't otherwise have to endure all because of her weakness...

An inhuman rumble rose from her chest and her growl revealed her fury to the world. Grasping hold of every negative emotion, every strand of sadness in her heart, Akashiya Moka took hold of that entire bundle of negativity and thrust it on the hybrid.

When the Student Police arrived, there wasn't enough left of the hybrid to even get dental records.

Neither did they find Moka or Tsukune. The silver-haired vampiress had taken her friend to the hospital and refused to even set the rosario back until he was stable.

While Tsukune slept peacefully however, her Rosario restored, Moka had an interesting conversation with Kurumu.

The succubus was, plainly put, furious with Moka and how she looked at Tsukune. Many hurtfull words were said, many accusations made.

"Moka... don't you see how he suffers? He suffers because of you!"

"M-me?"

"Yes you! Don't you get it? I... I hate it... but... but I'm just Tsukune's friend. And so is Mizore and Yukari and everyone else... Everyone but _you_." She spat out venomously and the pink-haired girl took a step back. "We're his friends, but you? You're his _crush_! You're the one he cares for the most! And your stupid little wishy-washy feelings just keep hurting him!"

"B-but... I... I... am..."

"What, scared?" The hurt look on Moka's face assured the succubus that her guess was right on. "Well, so what? So am I! When he turns into that... that... _thing_... I am so scared! But not for myself! I'm scared that I'm going to loose him! That he's going to stop being my Destined One! You? You're just _scared_, scared that he'll hurt you. Don't you get it? He'd _never_ hurt you. He just can't. Because... because he cares for you more than he cares for himself." Kurumu made to turn and get out of the hospital room before getting the final word, the final nail in the proverbial coffin, in. "If you ever hurt him Moka... I won't forgive you. He needs you now more than ever. If you ever hurt him so help me every Dark Lord that ever was... I will _kill_ you!"

With the succubus left, the pink haired girl broke down to sad sobs. The truth was that Kurumu was speaking the truth; she was afraid for her self, of her safety. Instead of trusting Tsukune, she was scared that he would hurt her. Instead of worrying about him and how he was dealing with things, things thrust so suddenly into his life, she just worried about herself. "What... what should I do Ura-chan? What should I do?"

The rosario's eye opened, glowing the blood red of Moka's true self. _"Simple, treat him as you always do. And apologize. Besides, do you think I don't know of your feelings for him? And I approve, by the way. He's definitely mate material. Though... with his humanity..."_

"Ura-chan! E-even you do? And... what do you mean?"

_"Fool. He is human. We are a Super Vampire. How long do you think he will be with us? Fifty years? A century? How long do you think you will last in absolute loneliness? If we do take him as our mate, we will betray him. So, keep treating him as always, I will place myself as his unreachable goal so that we will be able to let him down as painlessly as possible. Hopefully, that will be enough..."_

That night, Moka didn't get a lot of sleep and what little she got was plagued by her dreams. Dreams of possibilities, wants, desires, fear, terror, loneliness, companionship. Solitude.

That night, Moka had never hated her longevity as much as she did. She had never, until that moment, despised her immortality enough to consider being mortal a blessing amongst blessings. She was envious. She was jealous. And she couldn't do anything about it.

Back in the hospital room, a blond-haired nurse looked at a sleeping Aono Tsukune, licking her lips. "Soon Tsukune-kun... you're going to experience pain the likes of which nothing compares... so, hurry up and wake!"

**A/N: Thank you for reviewing in the last chapter and I hope you like this chapter as well.**

**The sesshouseki comes from the manga Ga-rei, though I have adapted it to my own devices and needs. In fact, the only thing I got was the name; killing stone, evil stone, demonic stone, stone of malice. Sounded cool and went along with my plans so I kept it. But it's not the shards of Kyubi or something like that, it's an insanely hard item to manufacture, but that's all it is. There will probably be more information on it later on.**

**Just to make some things clear though; Tsukune is human. If anyone ran any number of tests, they would find him 100% human. That is the weird thing about being demonblooded. It doesn't show up anywhere. It just ignites one day and from then on it is just as impossible to calculate or categorize. Tsukune's physical strength, even when in human form, is something I borrow from Rosario+Vampire; all monsters maintain some part of their natural abilities even when disguised (Outer Moka can crush concrete accidentaly). So, he maintains some part of his true strength even when 'sealed'. Not nearly close to how strong he can really be, and neither is he exactly good at fighting, as opposed to when transforming. Also, his 'class' is Demoblooded. At the foreseeable future, he won't multi-class, though he might if I find a good combination.**

**Meatbomb:**

**It is not my intention to make this into an 'atrocity of the weak' fic. That's just boring. And low. My intention is to accurately portray just how evil, depraved and terrifying such a transformation is. I will not be recreating the transformation sequence every time, but I will give out hints if it changes and in what way though. Just so you are not surprised if you see him dashing at the speed of light or something. Also, the reason I focus so much on Tsukune is exactly because it is a very trying time for someone. Think about it; as a human he was the weakest of the weak, stranded (even if willingly to a point) in the world of monsters. Now, he finds out he has something even **_**worse**_** than a monster inside him; a bona fide demon. It being trying to someone's psyche is only natural. Which is why I focused on the girls in this chapter. If I still need more, please let me know so I can adjust appropriately. Also this time, if you noticed, Tsukune didn't go demon form. I think I'd rather keep some of the original R+V continuity instead of replacing Moka with Tsukune and taking her very reason of existing out of the fic.  
**

* * *

**Today, on this 9/6/2012, I, Soulblazer87, do hereby leave this site, possibly forever.**

**I shall not update this, or any other story.**

**I shall leave them on, however. Should you desire to follow my stories, do so in my new site of residence: www dot yourfanfiction dot com.**


	4. Tempered Heart

_Tempered Heart_

Tsukune groaned as he woke up, hating how the white ceiling was there to greet him.

"Ugh... There and back again... How often do I have to come here?" A rhetoric, bitter question that caused Tsukune quite a bit of chuckling once he noticed that he had actually rested during his sleep.

A survey around the room revealed a napping Kurumu, who apparently had spent quite a few hours watching over him while he slept. There were a few scents too, scents he could recognize due to both the increased senses afforded to him by his 'transfiguration' as well as the fact that they were isolated enough from the rest of the school. And how could he forget these scents? The scent that always tickled his nose when Moka leaned in to drink of his blood... a lifetime and something ago. There were also... two other scents he didn't recognize, but they must have been the doctors. One was vaguely familiar and, if he were to hazard a guess, it was Mizore. The stalking Yuki-Onna always had the habit of watching over him, it stands to reason that she would still do so.

At least that would mean she didn't change her attitude towards him, still saw him for who he once was. She still knew he hadn't changed that much.

It was a comforting thought for the former human.

Tsukune smiled at the sleeping succubus, her face into a gentle, happy smile. It was nice to see that someone didn't avoid him as much, even if he felt she should give him some breathing room. It felt... nice to be wanted, to be cared for. For an instant, he entertained the idea of faking an illness just to have the girls pamper him. But he stopped it on grounds that it would worry them. His Inner Demon however disagreed; they should pamper him lest he grows angry and seek penance from the stupid bitches.

Thankfully, the Divine Lock did a good job in drowning the other side. For now. Tsukune had felt, first hand, the vile, repulsive spirit he housed within. He knew that nothing would hold it back forever. But for now, it was enough.

The boy slowly got up, making sure to not give the sleeping girl in the room any free 'gratuitous fan-service' as he slipped on his clothes. Then he shook her shoulder softly.

"Kurumu-chan, Kurumu-chan, it's time to wake up..."

He didn't catch her reply, but he did catch a few words, such as 'destined', 'too tired' and 'broken bed'. It didn't take much to understand where her dreams had brought the hormonal girl to and he blushed hotly. He kept shaking her softly, whispering her awake, until her eyes opened. The way they opened wide was quite comical, once she realized he was up and dressed.

"Tsukune! You're awake! I'm so glad!" And then came Kurumu's trademark hello; a glomp in which she tried to smother the boy in her bountiful figure. "I stayed here after class, but it got late and I fell asleep and I had made my special get-well cookies but I got hungry and ate them all! But don't worry! I will make another batch and they will be even better and we can share them!"

Tsukune was quite relieved to hear the girl rant on and on while she tried to smother him. Not only because of the location of his head, he was a healthy male after all thank-you, but also because of the sense of normalcy and bonding, something he desperately needed.

When he finally managed to get his release from the 'hug of pleasant death', Tsukune stretched lazily, enjoying the satisfying 'pop' sounds of his joints.

"So... how long have I been out? Two, three days?"

Kurumu looked at hims strangely, but not in a bad way, almost as if she were proud of him. She probably was. "No. It's just over half a day really. You heal very fast now, it's awesome! Now we can spend more time together, alone!"

Well, her intentions were quite obvious and Tsukune couldn't help but chuckle at her antics. It was a balm to his troubled heart to be near the vivid girl. Despite any harsh whispers from his Inner Demon. Which is what they would stay if Tsukune had his way; whispers and nothing more.

How one's desires and wants often fall so woefully short of reality.

"Kurumu-chan, not that I don't enjoy you being here, because I do, but shouldn't you be at school? I mean, your grades must be suffering with how much we all get in trouble... Wouldn't want you being forced to leave."

The succubus giggled at him; he really was telling the truth. And it was true that her grades were suffering lately, what with all the misadventures and all.

"It's alright, really! Mizore's covering for me, see! They should be coming over soon too. Leaves us just a bit of time to play around!" The succubus was all too glad to put any depressing thoughts behind and try to push her Destined One back to the bed.

Alas he didn't let her do that, instead sitting on the bed and pulling her next to him as well. Despite it not being as intimate as the girl would have liked, it still was good enough for her and she rested her head on his shoulder as the pair waited, content in being next to him. Mere moments later, Mizore, Gin and Ruby entered the room, followed by a very hesitant Yukari. The little witch seemed to hide behind the elder one, as if she would protect her.

Tsukune's heart twisted at that. Yukari was his friend and she was afraid of him, of what he could become, of what he _became_.

A part of him wanted to shout at her for not believing in him, but he squashed it down; he knew where that threat had come from. Didn't mean that the urge went away however.

So, the male put it behind him and raised a hand in greeting. "Hello everyone!"

And cue a facefault. He sure seemed... energetic. The most perceptive of them however, meaning Ruby and Gin, noticed that he was hiding his true sadness.

Deciding to mess with his kohai, and not really knowing why Tsukune was down, Gin decided to mess with him. "Yo, Tsukune, I heard ya got pretty trounced huh?"

Tsukune rubbed the back of his head as if embarassed. "Y-yeah... It happened a bit too fast for me, I think the guy actually rivaled _your_ speed Gin-sempai!"

Of course, the proud werewolf took that as a challenge. "That so? Then I'm gonna get him and beat his ass!"

Ruby turned away at that comment, she had seen the remnants of the attacker. Moka had been truly ruthless in her punishment.

"That aside, where's Moka-san?" Asked a very curious Tsukune. He had expected her to be there. Even with what he had become.

Kurumu looked pissed at that question, she was really angry at the pink-haired vampire. "She's not coming. Said something about having something to do."

The scowl was mimicked by Mizore, who was shyly looking at Tsukune from behind a closet. Tsukune however bore a different expression, sadness, anger, fear... All kinds of emotions flitted across his face.

"I... I see. Well, shall we go? I mean I need to catch up with everyone and we have homework to get down to as well..."

And with that the group left the hospital room, making their way out of the dreary place.

Coming around a corner, Tsukune's eyes caught a flash of pink and, sure it had been Moka turned to the direction his eyes, and even some part of his instincts, told him to. "Everyone go ahead, I'm going to check on something. I should be back in a few, alright?"

Getting a positive nod from the others, the boy jogged off to see if his feeling was right. But, while he moved, he couldn't help but wonder why she was moving away from him; every time he took a turn, he would just see her hair vanish behind another wall.

His confusion only caused the demon's whispers to grow stronger, telling him how even _she_ didn't want to be near him, how she looked at him after he transformed in front of her, even if it was to protect her. Tsukune grasped his Divine Lock reassuringly and tried to ignore his Demon's words.

Easier said than done.

Because it knew exactly what to say to strike the boy's troubled psyche, hit him where it hurts and plunge him into a never ending torment of self-doubt and depression. Sealed the demon might be, but it was definitely not out of the fight.

But Tsukune moved on, trying to ignore it as he chased after Moka. Somehow he _knew _that was Moka, somehow, some part of him, an instinctive awareness told him that she was there in front of him, just out of his reach. And it was that same instinct that told him that something was wrong. What, however, he didn't know.

In the end, he caught up, in front of some stairs. He raised a hand and called out to her. "Hey, Moka-san! Where are you going?"

The girl stopped abruptly, too suddenly, almost as if shocked. Then she turned around and Tsukune could tell something was wrong, her face was too apathetic, her eyes were _different_.

"Tsukune..."

"Moka-san?"

The girl moved towards him and he towards her, happy he could see his friend. Last time he saw her after all was blacking out from another's attacks. Then she was right in front of him, gazing into his eyes with an undecipherable look.

"Moka-san, what's wrong, what hap-"

His words were frozen in his mouth as a smirk formed itself on her face and her right arm lashed upwards towards him.

Tsukune fell back to the ground, sudden pain gripping his chest. The reason became clear; in Moka's hands was a knife, a scalpel to be exact.

"M-Moka-san?"

"Die... Tsukune."

So... that was it? She... she really hated him, didn't she? She wanted to kill him, didn't she? She wanted to kill him herself, didn't she?

Sorrow, unbelievable, uncontrollable sorrow welled up from his heart, a heart that was falling to pieces.

A heart wounded far harsher than any weapon could hope to.

_'Why? Why is it always me? Why does she want to kill me? Am I really that much...'_

Then resignation. If she killed him, it was fine. If she was the one to kill him, it was fine.

"It's alright... if it's you, then it's alright. Go ahead Moka-san..." His lips twisted in a broken smile.

Even through her daze, Moka stopped moving, for a second.

Even for a second, the Demon Within was suppressed by a power that surpassed its own yet was diametrically opposed.

But the second passed quickly and time moved again. The demon roared its defiance and the blade moved towards the boy. Tsukune closed his eyes in acceptance, perhaps looking forward to his death, the release from this cursed life.

A blond-haired woman smiled wickedly as another woman, this one having silver and yet pink hair, screamed out in abject fear and terror.

A body crashed into Moka and sent her careening into a wall, almost breaking it.

From the cloud of dust, Kurono Kurumu rose, her normally smiling face twisted in a mien of hate and fury as she looked at the unconscious girl at her feet.

The blond-haired woman growled in heart-scorching fury while the other woman, the one with green and red eyes, sighed in relief before her world went black.

Tsukune just wondered why he was alive, but not in the good way; he had accepted his death, why wasn't he given his peace? Why wasn't he granted his salvation from his torture?

Kurumu just seethed at the unconscious girl under her. She raised her claws to impale her when a hand wound itself around hers and Ruby stopped her.

"Wait Kurumu-san. Go take care of Tsukune-san, I will see why Moka-san did something like this. Gin, go to the Headmaster, tell him trouble has come to the hospital."

Kurumu huffed as she turned, followed by Mizore, who as always snuck around rather than appear in front of her crush, or boy she liked as it were. Gin just vanished, leaving Yukari to run to the elder witch's side, making an obvious attempt to look away from Tsukune. It still hurt her to look at him, still terrified her. And the worst pain came because she _knew_ how her actions hurt him, but couldn't do anything about it.

Several minutes later found Tsukune seating on a raised bed, a doctor looking over his newest wound, waiting for Kurumu to get back from his room with a new shirt. An absent-minded thought about how often he seemed to destroy them lately crossed his mind and he had to wonder about his sanity; he had much worse things to worry about but he still griped about how his parents would react to his extra uniform calls.

In another room, the blond-haired schemer cursed and raved about how her plan had gone. When a presence showed up behind her, she turned and almost skewered the intruder with her extended fingers, fingers that looked almost like a syringe rather than a claw. They even dripped a clear fluid from the tips as they snaked through the air.

"My, my, you are very upset aren't you Miko-san? You should be, considering how badly your plan failed... We don't like failures after all." The creepy, mocking voice from behind her caused the woman to turn and stare at the half-bored, half-amused, mismatched eyes of her speaker. She scoffed at him.

"A minor setback. Don't think I am unaware of why you're here, I've had to dispose of others before, you know. No matter, I will deal with it Kiria."

"Oh, getting quite familiar with me are you? You must be more upset than I thought. No matter, but make sure not to fail. You are nothing but a pawn after all, you do not have the leniency of failure, not in Anti-thesis."

"Shut up! I'll kill him, no I'll kill her as well! I'll kill them all!" Her scream showed a lot of anger, but an even greater amount of fear, almost at the onset of hysteria.

The reason was obvious; she was _nothing_, her failure would be her death.

In her anger, she didn't realize that her monster form had been revealed, or maybe it had been her fear activating her natural weaponry in an attempt to protect itself from the overbearing killer intent of the being in front of her. It was like a demon looking at her. So, when patients noticed the fact that her fingers had extended to snake-like ropes with pointy ends that dripped some form of poison, they reacted as any other being would; by freaking out.

The screams angered the already irritated nurse more than she already was and she cried out in anger as she lashed at the annoyances. Her previously pink-colored uniform was splattered with drops of blood from those who were too close to her when her syringe-like fingers stabbed them at various places.

In yet another room, Ruby was doing her best to calm down a crying Moka.

"I don't remember anything! I don't know why or how I was there! I just remember a doctor telling me to follow him and then... and then... and then I was standing over Tsukune-san with a knife in my hand just before Kurumu-chan had knocked me on the wall!"

Yukari next to the vampiress was almost ecstatic; Moka-san was innocent of all charges. Then she realized that would mean she would have to see Tsukune again and her happiness was diminished. That didn't mean she stopped hugging Moka.

Ruby did her best to calm down the vampiress, giving her the support she needed.

"I don't remember anything... nothing at all... the dark room and... and... and there was someone else and... a... a pain? In my neck? What... what happened... I..."

But slowly, her memory came back and the pink-haired girl gasped as the truth dawned on her. She now remembered what happened. She shot off from her seat, running towards Tsukune, he needed her, he was in danger!

Tsukune however was unaware of all that. He was finally released and he was making his way through the hospital towards the exit. He noticed how... quiet the place was, but really, it was a hospital. Some things should be the same as the human world after all.

Then, as he turned a corner, he realized _why_ the place was so silent; a large, wide corridor... sprayed with blood... fallen bodies everywhere.

Fear gripped his heart; not for himself, he was rather hard to kill after all, but for the people around him. What had happened? Had someone hurt another because of him? The anger within him this time had nothing to do with the demon.

As he bent down to check on the nearest one, suddenly the arm latched on his own and held him tight.

"Hey, let go, you're hurting me!"

But the fallen man didn't reply neither did he go. And when his eyes were visible to Tsukune, he saw the same feeling of emptyness as he had seen before, just a few minutes ago, on another's face.

His eyes widened, but he got no time to react as many arms latched on him and held him.

"It's useless to fight back against all my puppets Aono Tsukune-kun." A person in a nurse's outfit walked into his sight, her deformed hands drawing his attention. Her smile was there but it was evil and reminded him of the devil within his blood. "They are under the control of my power, my obedient little pawns!"

"D-Don't tell me... You're-"

"Yes! Yes, I'm from Anti-thesis and you have irritated us for the last time Aono Tsukune-kun! Last time you escaped by beautiful plot, but this time, even at the cost of my life, I will kill you!"

The insane-looking woman lashed out with her hand and several snake-like appendages launched towards the immobilized Tsukune. He growled as he tried to transform, but he couldn't make it in time with the seal resisting his power.

Then another body fell in front of him and took the blows aimed for him.

"I'm so sorry Tsukune..." Came Moka's pained voice. "I didn't want to hurt you, I..." Then her eyes gradually lost focus as the poison took effect within her.

"Kukukukuku! She must like my injections to want a second dose so quickly!" The chuckle was menacing and victorious.

Tsukune cursed. He couldn't transform now, his attempt had stopped the moment Moka had come into his sight and he knew he couldn't do it with her so near to him. He just couldn't let any harm fall to her. But what could he do?

The demon roared victoriously.

Something silver glinted in the light and Tsukune remembered the group's other trump card; the other side of Moka, the undefeatable Super Vampire, the _real_ Akashiya Moka.

His hand lashed out faster than anyone anticipated, even as he moved towards the incoming blow of Moka, thereby avoiding it, and tugged hard at the silver cross.

A pillar of power exploded outwards from the stunned pink-haired girl, but when it died down, Tsukune was not greeted with familiar red eyes and silver hair; the even more familiar green and pink were still there.

But something was different. Moka's eyes had cleared a bit. She could form words now and slow the movement of her body, even if just for a few seconds.

_'Why hasn't he transformed yet?'_ She wondered in her mind.

Then she remembered the words of a succubus: _"He'd never hurt you. He just can't. Because... because he cares for you more than he cares for himself."_

Then she felt so stupid, so shallow. So worthless. He didn't transform because that would put her in danger. And he would accept his death if that meant her life.

The silver-haired warrior-queen within her roared in defiance.

As the blow moved closer to Tsukune's heart, the hair turned silver and eyes became reptilian red.

A spurt of blood and a gasp of pain.

A body falling on the floor.

Tsukune's eyes widened in terror as the vampiress fell to her knees, injured by her own attack, diverting it from him.

"What are you waiting for Tsukune?" She demanded harshly, pain in her voice. "Fight!"

The command set of a series of chain reactions within Tsukune and the boy's determination steeled.

He dove straight into the source of his power, the demonic power within him and _seized_ it. He grabbed it, pulled it, put it under him and _commanded_ it.

An explosion of power surged forth from the boy and the hanging patients were thrown away. He fell down to a crouch as the changes began to overtake his body.

But unlike other times, this one was gradual, controlled and not nearly as flashy. Plates didn't burst from the skin, they resurfaced. Skin didn't fall off, it was overcome by muscles like a wave of water. The tail erupted and wagged slowly behind him. Nails became sharp claws and his lips pulled back to reveal changed fangs.

It was longer, less flashy but no less imposing and Moka could honestly say that she didn't quite mind him when he controlled himself. In fact, the way he looked at her and then homed in on the attacking hybrid gave her a weird feeling of satisfaction. But, under her goals, the reason of her damnation, she squashed it and refused to soften her features.

The demonblooded warrior roared and the walls shook. A powerful leap from poweful legs brought it several feet closer to his target as a wall of poisoned patients made a wall in front of him.

Too bad they were not of stone; the beast pounced on them and brought them to the ground before moving on without sparing them another look, and luckily without doing anything else to them.

Mikomaru Miko was scared.

One moment, her plan was going perfect.

The next, Tsukune had turned into _that_ and was coming straight for her.

She didn't need anything to tell her that he was stronger than her; she could see it as plain as day.

Closer.

He was on her.

Stunned as she was, held in fear, she could offer no resistance as the demon crashed into her and bull-rushed her on his shoulder, crushing her on the wall.

Spit and blood flew off her mouth as a hand, larger than her head, grabbed said part and crashed her on the cold, hard floor.

Through eyes blinded by blood, blood that came from a wound on her head that would at least cause a mild concussion, she gazed into the cold, harsh eyes of the demon.

A real demon.

A bitter laugh wormed its way into her mind; Kiria was _not _a demon, nowhere _near_ one. She could feel the sweet taste of vengeance already when Kiria and this demon would meet. She would be waiting for the bastard in hell!

**"Rrrr..."** The demon growled at her and she was surprised to hear its butchered speech, punctuated by growls. **"Don't... hrrr... fear... You... not...grrr... die... Inter...rrrr...rogation..."**

Its voice was raspy and bestial, but it got the point across. With another smash on the floor, Miko was unconscious.

The next thing she would see would be Kuyou framed by the Exorcist.

Tsukune turned away from the defeated hybrid and stalked towards Moka. As he walked towards her, his form seemed to break away to dust, leaving behind his original, human shape.

Tsukune stood before the vampiress, his eyes steel and his countenance that of a tired but still standing veteran.

She would never admit it, but she was so proud him at that moment.

But, she couldn't let it go, she had to stop it. "I won't thank you, you know. I could have beaten her on my own, even with this wound."

The boy nodded. "Yes, yes I know. And you know I didn't do it for your thanks. I did it because I wanted to."

Her smile was even harder to hold back this time, her eyes filled with pride at being his friend and sadness for what she would have to do to him one day.

She turned around quickly and grabbed her silver cross before he could look at her and see her sadness and joy. The seal was in place with a soft click and she was free to release her emotions in the safety of her rosario.

Ironically, her prison had become her one spot of freedom.

Strong arms caught the pink-haired girl as she fell, exhausted as always from her sealing and Moka, the Outer Shell this time smiled gently at the boy who held her.

She didn't need him to tell her that she was forgiven of the fault that was not hers.

All was well.

Tsukune was Tsukune.

After all, only Tsukune could become a demon and still not kill the one who hurt his crush.

She bet his blood had only gotten tastier.

Her fangs bit on his neck and she was joyous to find that 'tasty' was a severe understatement to how perfect it had become.

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**A/N: Mikomaru Miko and her scheming took a rather unpredictable turn for the worse, didn't they? The relationships are still strained, as expected with such rapid changes, but at least they are being mended. At least on the surface.**

**Hopefully, this chapter is better than the others, though it still leaves me with a feeling of incomplete... I don't know why though... Also, I have fixed the minor error in the first chapter; Shinso is a vampire, not the source of Alucard's power. Alucard is just the oldest known vampire with Shinso blood. I apologize and thank Four Elements 678 for telling me.  
**

* * *

**Today, on this 9/6/2012, I, Soulblazer87, do hereby leave this site, possibly forever.**

**I shall not update this, or any other story.**

**I shall leave them on, however. Should you desire to follow my stories, do so in my new site of residence: www dot yourfanfiction dot com.**


	5. Stirring Conflict

_Stirring Conflict_

The day after the incident in the hospital, Kurono Kurumu was pissed.

Scratch that, she was furious. Not only had Moka attacked Tsukune, which cut him much deeper than the cut on his chest, but she had the gall to not apologize and instead drink his blood once again. She was there after all, after the fight with the traitrous nurse. She had seen his eyes. The emotions within. She had seen how he drew determination from just seeing her, how just looking at her gave him strength to carry on.

She hated it. Did she not love him as much as Moka did, if not so much more? What did Moka do? She just hurt him, broke his heart. And that's the _kind_ side of her, her strong, true side looked at him as if he were trash while concealing her true feelings. After all there's very few things that slip past a succubus' ability to read emotions, why else would she have picked Tsukune to be her Destined One? She had seen the depth of his emotions, she had seen his selflessness, his kind heart, even after he had turned into a demon. She saw no hate, no anger, no fury except to those who hurt his precious people.

But Inner Moka? Inner Moka cared for Tsukune but instead of showing it to him when he most needed the support and assurance, she hid it away under glares, stern words and cold shoulders. She was more frigid than Mizore but at least the Yuki-Onna showed she cared.

So why did Tsukune like her so much? Why did he stick by her side through everything? Why did he do all that for her? That's what Kurumu hated the most; her feelings just couldn't reach him through the wall that was Akashiya Moka.

The tree fell in thin slices but Kurumu saw only Moka's smiling face in its place. Her claws were extended and sharp and she was just so angry...

"Damn it Moka... Why? Why does Tsukune have to like _you_? You don't care about him so why does he love you so much? Why can't he love me? Why can't my feelings reach him?" She wondered loudly, hating that feeling of inadequacy.

"If only she weren't here, right?" Came a voice from behind the girl, startling her. "That's what you're thinking about right now? So predictable, so boring..." The speaker was a boy, between second and third year if she were to judge, reading a book and looking extremely bored. "I could help you, you know. Get rid of her I mean. Just bring her here, alone and I'll deal with it. Even better, I'll make sure that none of us come after you and Tsukune-san again. Pretty good deal isn't it? Our goals fulfilled, you are one rival less and your dear Tsukune-san is safe. Think about it. You have one day."

It was about that time that the boy's words were understood and Kurumu lashed out at him, slashing with her long claws. But the boy dodged flawlessly, appearing behind her in a burst of speed, making her notice his mismatched eyes; they looked like a frog's but one slit was vertical and the other horizontal.

"So rude. But, still, my deal is open. Get me Akashiya Moka and in return, your friends will be safe."

Then he was gone, leaving a troubled succubus with his words ringing through her head. Beyond his power and skill, she was stunned by the offer. Could she do it? Could she betray Moka to that bastard?

The next morning, Kurumu was still thinking about it. It drew several questions about it, seeing as how the usually upbeat succubus was looked rather worried, but in the end she decided to go for it. So what if Moka had to pay? She had to pay for something after all, for hurting Tsukune. She had to realize that sometimes there's a price one has to pay. Her decision was reinforced when she saw the vampire girl latched onto Tsukune's neck, sucking his blood and commenting how tasty it was. How tasty! As if he were some kind of gourmet meal! He was her Destined One and no one had the right to treat him like breakfast, or any kind of meal for that matter!

So, in the afternoon, after classes and while Tsukune had been called by the Headmaster, Kurumu told Moka to follow her. The ever-naive girl did, trusting her friend. Then they reached a small hill and Kurumu stopped all too suddenly.

"Why? Why is it so hard? I hate it when things go that way... You treat Tsukune like food and he still loves you... I hate you so much sometimes Akashiya Moka... I hate you so much!" And with that, she was onto the vampire, her hands clutched around the girl's neck. Tears ran from her eyes and the succubus sobbed, but her grasp didn't weaken.

Disbelief flooded Moka's mind as she was attacked by her friend, strangled by the girl she had laughed and cried and fought and _lived_along.

But she could understand the girl's feelings. She was her rival for love, and succubi were renowned for being very zealous in their pursuit for their Destined Ones. And even beyond that, the girl was right; she had been wrong to Tsukune and she deserved every bit of hate from the hurt girl, she deserved every bit of pain, every bit of anger from her friends, for not being who she should be, a stalwart friend.

So, knowing that, she hugged the succubus, comforting her even as she was attacked, knowing how the girl must be feeling, how her heart must have been tortured.

Kurumu wept on Moka's shoulder while her hands clutched weakly at Moka's neck, just over her rosario. So many days of seeing Tsukune tortured, after all these revelations, the constant fighting, the negative emotions, something had to give in and so she wept, bawled on the shoulder of her rival and friend.

Funny word, that last one, _friend_. So many meanings, so many connotations, so many feelings linked to that simple sound.

Kurumu's mind examined the word, seeing it from various angles, watching it, trying to understand it and wrap itself around it.

Then, a voice that only Kurumu recognized made itself known to the pair and her mind clicked to place. "Well, thank you very much for fulfilling our deal Kurono-san. It was boring to know how you would act, but hopefully, seeing the vampire Moka-san will be interesting."

Kurumu's eyes widened as she made up her mind and regretted her original decision. It was a small distance from the alabaster neck to the silver rosario and Kurumu's hands were fast. They wrapped around the holy metal and pulled, just like she had seen Tsukune do.

It didn't work, the seal was not removed. She kept on tugging at the stubborn cross trying to free it. Moka shook her head. "Only Tsukune can break the seal, Kurumu-san!"

The succubus cursed. If Kiria decided to fight them, they'd need the Inner Moka's combat prowess, even if she really detested the silver-haired beauty. But, the time was not apt for thought and they had to quickly dodge away from the large fist of another monster.

"Oh, it seems you really don't know what you want. At any rate, these gentlmen will keep you company. Goodbye and know that because of that, we'll have to keep trying to kill Tsukune-san!" The voice was cheerful, but with an underlying current of hate and anger, before its bearer vanished.

Leaving besides of course his 'friends' two extremely large monsters with one eye in the center of their forehead; Cyclops. One of them had a larger-than-life warhammer in its hands.

Somewhere, a red-haired vampire girl sneezed as she squeezed her bat Familiar, messing up its transformation. That did not stop her from demolishing the entire training room.

Kurumu made a sad chuckle, wondering if she's insane, if it finally got to her. She saved her rival for Tsukune's love and is now staring at the hulking forms of two Ayashi, Ayashi with fists that are larger than her entire petite body, her wings and tail included.

"Well, too bad I'm bad at only doing things half-way. I can't really hate her that fast."

That drew a few chuckles from the vampiress next to her, before she spoke, taking up a rudimentary ready combat stance. "Let's show them who they are messing with, eh Kurumu-chan?"

The succubus shrugged as her wings and tail came out of hiding. "Yeah, let's beat them together!"

It didn't take long for them to beat their targets; in fact it took relatively little time since the Cyclopses were perverts that wanted to molest the two girls. Turned out that Moka _does_ have enhanced strength when she grabbed the warhammer from the hands of its wielder and promptly smashed it on the head. The warhammer almost broke from the force of the impact as Moka harrumphed.

Really, did everyone she met have to be perverts? Apart from Tsukune of course.

In the end of the fight however, both girls were tired and their clothes and bodies had seen better days, sporting minor rips and various bruises respectively. So, the two girls sat down to relax under the shade of a dried up tree.

"You know... it wasn't meant to be like this..." Began Kurumu. "I was meant to come here, beat every girl in the looks department, get my harem of boys and find my Destined One... Instead..."

"Instead you fall for a human, who turns out to be able to turn into a demon, get involved in a fight against people who want to destroy our peaceful academy and end up saving your rival in love..."

"It's pretty funny when you think about it..." Kurumu giggled at that. It was funny in a way.

"Yeah, especially considering how your Destined One went from weakest human to strongest monster in a day... or the fact that the rival you saved is the one to hurt said boy... I'm so sorry Kurumu-chan, I really, _really_ didn't mean to hurt him. And if I have a chance, I won't hurt him again..."

"Hmph! Apology accepted! But don't get too clingy on my Destined One Moka! And don't suck his blood, he can barely walk some mornings after what you do to him!"

At that the vampiress blushed and looked down in embarassment. "W-well... I... I was afraid his blood would have changed when... when he transformed, so I didn't drink any and I don't have any blood packs in the fridge and... and I was _really_ thirsty! But Tsukune's blood _has _changed, it became so much better! I thought it would change, show the... taint... of his demon form, but it hasn't changed at all. His taste, his texture... it's still the same Tsukune, only imbued with enough youki inside that he can awaken my Other Side!" Then she giggled, remembering some of the Inner's choice words at Tsukune's blood. "If you want any proof that Tsukune hasn't changed all that much, then his blood is it! It's just _sooo_ yummy!"

Kurumu shook her head as she giggled alongside her friend, not all that surprised about the girl's mania with the boy's blood. Though, here a stray thought crossed her mind, she wouldn't _really_ mind if he bit her. Then she cursed her mother's stories about kinky habits in bed as she tried to hide her ever-growing blush.

Meanwhile however, the world didn't stand still and Tsukune, once again wearing new clothes since the last ones 'expired' or to be more precise were barely serviceable, was walking towards the Headmaster's office. For once, he was doing it with his head held high and his mind clear.

Not only had he caught the one who would have gotten him expelled, but he had also gotten a rat, a spy placed by Anti-thesis. That's got to be worth _something._

If only he knew.

But he didn't and so he pressed on, if for but to get this business over with.

With a knock on the heavy wooden doors, ignoring the two 'bouncers' at the left and right, Tsukune awaited for permission to enter.

He didn't have to wait long, the doors opened and he was allowed in just as another one was leaving. It was a student, third year if one went by appearence, wearing an immaculate uniform. Their eyes met for but an instant and Tsukune could see within many emotions that he didn't recognize yet could tell that he felt as well. Then the instant had passed and the older student smiled kindly at Tsukune before making way for him.

**"Welcome Tsukune-kun. How is this day treating you so far?"**

The courteous question was replied with a just as courteous answer until the door was closed and secured. Then Tsukune's countenance changed and became less rigid but more combat-ready; he might be getting paranoid lately but he wasn't going to let anyone hurt Moka-san and the others. Not if he could do anything about it.

The Headmaster smiled. The boy was growing a spine. Good, he needed it.

"You know why I'm here Headmaster. I caught your intruders for you. Remove the expulsion order." As had been their deal.

The robed man chuckled. **"Yes. Yes you did get that intruder. But he was... destroyed for lack of better words. We could get no information out of him. Thankfully, you amended by getting us the hidden spy Mikomaru Miko, and safe enough we could properly interrogate. It is good to see that you can control your instincts. I can't imagine how hard it must have been to hold back from killing her..."**

Unvoiced went the thought that passed through Tsukune's head: _'Well, knowing she would get worse pain by Kuyou did help a lot.'_ Instead, he chose to swallow that traitorous thought and nod as if accepting a compliment. But the Exorcist was right; he didn't know how hard it was to resist skewering her with his claws and crushing her head with his jaws. Or more accutely; he didn't _want_ to know. Noone would.

**"At any rate, you have done well, better than I expected. So, I think it would only be proper if I were to reward you for your hard work and great success, especially when it comes to your newfound control. That is why I'm awarding you a place in the school committee for the upcoming festival, and maybe even after it."**

_'That's no reward!'_ Wailed Tsukune in his mind. On the outside however, he just scowled at the Headmaster and nearly bared his teeth in animalistic anger. Nearly. "I'd like to decline that reward Headmaster..."

**"Oh? Then I may be forced to give it to Moka-san... But with all the rumours..."**

That stopped the boy. "Rumours? If you're placing Moka-san in danger, so help me God I-"

**"God cannot help you here, here **_**I**_** am God. Besides, you've already declined. But what rumours? Well, since Anti-thesis is targetting the festival, wouldn't it make sense to place a mole in the body made for its smooth operation? They have proved admirably good at sneaking moles in any other place..."**

"So you'd place Moka-san as bait?"

Ignoring the slight bulgings of Tsukune as the boy seriously debated going demon on the one to threaten his friend, the Headmaster shrugged. **"Well Tsukune-san, the plan originally meant for you to be the bait. Besides, if **_**you**_** were to take that position, then you wouldn't be a bait in the first place; bait can't defend itself after all. You can."**

Tsukune grumbled something about smartass priests and thought about it. It would place them in the mouth of the beast and expect him to walk into its belly. Then again, if he didn't someone else would and chances pointed at Moka or Yukari. Letting alone the fact he wouldn't let any harm come to vampiress, he didn't hate the witch either, despite how she treated him lately. He sighed. "Fine. I'll do it. But... If any harm comes to them..." His youki exploded outwards, bringing with it a feeling of malice and vileness so impure, so depraved that the seals surrounding the office shook and trembled. "I will **kill you!**" Then the aura vanished and all was well.

Outside, the two guards were shaking in their boots, trying to find out what was that aura of evil, strong enough to break a few of the magical charms on the door.

Inside however, the Exorcist didn't know whether to cringe or chuckle; cringe because of the very real threat as Tsukune could always break the seal and allow himself to be swallowed by his Inner Demon who may not be able to kill him but it would hurt like all hells (pun intended), or laugh, knowing what would befall anyone who threatened the safety of his students. A pissed off Akuchi is one dangerous beast, anyone attacking the Academy would by extension attack or threaten Tsukune's wards and that would bring unholy wrath the likes of which hadn't been seen in several centuries.

He settled for looking straight into Tsukune's eyes and nodding. **"Very well Tsukune-san, I will have my personnal assistant watching over your friends. That way they will be as safe as possible. Meanwhile, this paper has the location needed. The meeting should begin in about half an hour or so, just enough time to notify your club about your new responcibilities."**

The offered paper, and the new deal it symbolized where grudgingly accepted by the boy. The truth is that he didn't really trust even the Exorcist's personnal assistant, he didn't trust _anyone_ with their safety. But, if it was to keep them safe, he'd compromise. Scratch my back and I'll scratch yours, such was the deal between him and the robed man. Well, it could have been worse. Moka could have been attacked by Anti-thesis away from him, where he could protect her.

It was sheer luck that he was unaware of the recent events considering his friends.

The state of the two girls did draw some questions from the Akuchi, of course, but they just laughed it off as 'venting some steam'. Even if he thought there was something more behind it all, he trusted the two to tell him what was wrong so he could help, he still understood the concept of venting, gods know how much _he_ vented on the poor matress of his room. It made for a very good punching bag.

That did not mean he wasn't infuriated of course when he first saw them, before telling him it was nothing. For a few moments he seriously considered letting his demon take over and maim the fool who bruised and hurt them.

He would get that wish in time.

His own problems garnered a lot of concern from the club as well however. Tsukune was just barely getting to accept his new self and yet the Headmaster kept pushing him, first threatening expulsion and now putting more responcibilities on his shoulders. There was a thing like work therapy, but this was pushing it. Worse still, they knew that the Newspaper Club would need him for the coming events. But more than that, Tsukune needed them, he needed the stability afforded by being in the company of friends. After all, he may be coming to accept his changes, but that doesn't mean he already had. They could see the way he grasped his Divine Lock at times or how he flinched every time he saw little Yukari. The little witch may be getting over her fear of him, but every time he saw her, he was reminded of Moka's look when he first transformed willingly in front of her.

In the end however, they had to let him go; their wants meant little before the Exorcist's power in his own domain. That didn't mean they had to like it.

Several minutes later, Tsukune was making his way in the abandoned-looking house that the meeting would take place. Of course, knowing Youkai Gakuen, the cracks of lightning and ominous creaking sounds were just part of the character and, dare he say it, charm of the place. Of course, that thought was daunting in a sense; it meant he was accepting the Academy and its insanity despite what initial fears he once held about it.

Some would call that feeling 'growing up'. He would just call it 'desensitization'.

Swallowing up those traitorous thoughts, he took a step forward from where he had stepped, when a hand was placed on his shoulder.

His first instinct was to strike the one who touched him unexpectedly, but he drowned it. Instead he went for instinct number two; turn around surprised to see who it was.

It was the third year he had seen come out of the Headmaster's office, no paying more attention to him, rather than just his eyes, hidden behind his glasses. He had semi-long black hair, spiked downwards as was the custom lately with humans, and most ayashi of course. He was dressed in an immaculate school uniform, not even a spec of dust on its dark green jacket.

"Oh, if it isn't Aono Tsukune-kun! Let me be the first to welcome you to the committee! I was informed by the Headmaster you would be joining us!"

Well, he seemed cheery enough, if in a slightly creepy way; noone was _that_ cheery in the Academy. Except maybe Kurumu.

"Y-yeah, good to meet you as well. I hope we can work together for this event and everyone's safety." The responce was taken with a laugh from the older boy and Tsukune could feel himself relax in his presence; maybe there were some nice people in the Academy after all, other than his friends that is.

"It is so good to have fresh blood in the committee, most are older students and so high-strung. My name is Hokuto by the way, Kaneshiro Hokuto. Now, shall we join the others?"

And so they did, when Tsukune entered, everyone introduced themselves in turn to the new person in their midst. Tsukune's traitorous mind conjured up the image of a mafia boss meeting and he had to strain to hide his laugh.

Then, Hokuto stood up to speak and the room went silent. A whisper came from Tsukune's left, from a smiling Ayashi with squinted eyes.

"He's got a very strong presence, Hokuto-san. The markings of a good leader, right Aono Tsukune-san?"

Tsukune nodded before he shifted his attention to Hokuto and his speech. It was definitely passionate.

"We are the Youkai Gakuen's committee, charged with the protection and smooth operation of all events. But, as I'm sure you all know, the up-coming festival, the greatest event in this half of the year is being threatened by a group named Anti-thesis who want to destroy our peace. We will not allow them! We must protect the people! We must safeguard the Academy at all costs! We will not allow a bunch of terrorists to destroy the peaceful life of our Academy or threaten our people! We must protect everyone in the coming time and this is what we are all here for! Please! Lend me your strength so we can all protect the Academy!"

Tsukune nodded emphatically, that was a goal he could aspire to; protect the Academy to protect his friends. Yes, that Hokuto guy was definitely not a bad guy.

He could even turn into a friend.

The meeting went on with everyone giving their own ideas and thoughts about how the festival would best be protected. Tsukune was given the responcibility of taking notes and forming up plans made up by the ideas of everyone, as well as give his own input of course. He was quite good at his work and very quick in the uptake, which drew many a look from the other members, some more approving than others.

After the meeting was over, Hokuto stayed back to make some final notes and take care of the paperwork, lighening the load of the other members. So, Tsukune found himself walking alone back towards the dorms, to get his rightful rest.

Then a voice, high pitched for a boy but too low for a girl, startled him. "Hey, Aono-kun, this way, this way!" It was the person sitted on his left in the committee.

Tsukune, curious, went towards him. "Yeah, what is it?" Well, he _was_ pretty tired so etiquette wasn't the top of his priorities.

The other Ayashi just chuckled/giggled, way too ermaphrodite for Tsukune's likings. It brought him several... undesirable... memories about a few of his fan_boys_. "Don't be so hostile Aono-kun! It's just that I would like to talk to you about your dealings with Anti-thesis!"

"What? How do you know about that?" And rightfully, he was on guard, as far as he knew, there were only a select few people knowing of that kind of trouble he had.

His talker just grinned in a conspiratory way and made a pulling motion with his hand. "Well, my abilities make me an excellent spy, so don't get so nervous Aono-kun! I just want to talk to you. So, come this way, no one to eavesdrop."

All things considered, this was a possible goldmine of information on that hated and despised group, as even knowing their goal would help him tremendously, so Tsukune followed the self-proclaimed spy even though there was something deep inside him that told him to not trust his talker.

"So, why me? I mean, why not come forth with all that information?" Asked a very curious Tsukune.

"Well, I don't trust them much, you see! Everyone is scared of Anti-thesis, but not you Aono-kun! You stood and fought them, and I hope you will beat them just like you did the previous times as well!"

And cue a mental stopping screech. "Wait, how do you know that I came across them several times?"

"Well, I did say I'm an excellent spy, didn't I?"

Tsukune nodded but kept his distance. "You may be, but I doubt you're good enough to escape everyone's notice, especially the Headmaster's or Moka's!"

The Ayashi sighed. "Well, I guess you couldn't trust me in the end, could you? Leader was right after all, you have good insight. Or instincts. My name is Ueshiba Mizuki, member of Anti-thesis. And you Aono-kun, are going to die!"

It was at that moment that the newly announced Ueshiba clacked his fingers, revealing an apparent friend of his; a large Ayashi with motley-brown skin, long near-boneless limbs and hands that were filled with small curved spikes, like those of climbing shoes. Worse than that, in its arms was a small, recognizable figure; Sendo Yukari.

"It was a good move of the Exorcist to send a capable fighter like you, but I'm Anti-thesis' best spy! Of course we'd predict that, so we prepared appropriately. Now, stay back or she's going to get some reaaally nasty wounds from my Chocker friend!"

Mizuki looked pretty damn smug as he announced the 'rules'. Yukari on the other hand was scared, so, _so_ scared.

Meanwhile, back in the club room, Kurumu, Mizore and Moka were anxiously waiting for the little witch to come back with the paperwork. She had been gone for too long. In the end, Kurumu exploded.

"Argh! I can't take this! I'm going to look for the little twerp!"

Just then, Ruby walked in, a sad, maybe even guilty look in her face. "Hello everyone... There's a few things I must tell you, even if the Headmaster fires me for it..."

In short order, the Exorcist's plan about using Tsukune was explained and there was no member in the club that wasn't infuriated. Even Gin, for he may consider Tsukune a 'block' in his plans to woo Moka and many other girls, but he was first and foremost a packmate. Wolves are known pack animals after all. It was then that Kurumu let out a loud exclamation of worry. "Ruby, have you seen Yukari? She was supposed to come over to your office and pick up some paperwork!"

Ruby shook her head before the possibility dawned on her. "No I haven't seen her... You don't mean?"

Mizore nodded as her calm mind put the possibility in words. "It's possible. We _are_ declared targets after all..."

By then Kurumu was already at the door. "We have to find her! And let Tsukune know!"

True forms were just a split second before being revealed when the group realized that one of their own could be in trouble and another may be pushed into a lion's den. Gin's superior speed left him as but a blur while Kurumu and Mizore ran through the door. Moka decided to stay there just in case they showed up, knowing that she'd be pointless in a combat unless Tsukune was there and Ruby decided to use her connection with the Headmaster to send out some members of the Student Police to look for the girl.

In the next few minutes, Kurumu realized just how much of a ninja fan Mizore really was. Not only she made kunai-shaped ice weapons and snuck around as an expert, but she was also an expert in tracking. Not even the slightest clues escaped her trained eyes and she proceeded to follow after the missing witch's trail like an expert. The succubus might have made a snarky remark, had it not been for them finding signs of struggle, heavy footprints and regular pieces of Yukari's clothes on the trail; the smart witch obviously had heard of the children's fable of Hansel and Grettel, leaving behind breadcrumbs in the form of various pieces of her clothing.

The pair followed the signs to the missing witch when they heard weird sounds, like someone being strangled or constricted or choked. Turning around the corner, Mizore pulled Kurumu to the side and behind the wall. When they dared look, they were incessed as much as worried.

Tsukune was on the ground, kneeling, as another man/girl person was wrapped around him like a snake.

"See? See? You're so weak in the end Aono-kun! You're so attached to this little brat that you can't even fight back because we'd hurt her! Naive fools like you don't deserve to live!"

There were few, really few times that Kurono Kurumu really got angry. And this was one of them. Wings burst from her shoulders and a tail erupted from under her skirt all the while her nails elongated and glinted with lethal intent. The pint-sized witch might be annoying, but she was a friend. The feelings were also mirrored in Mizore, though with a different focus; how dare these cowards use Tsukune's kindness and friendship to hurt him? Ice crept up her arms and head in responce to her anger.

The Chocker didn't even realized what happened. One moment it was holding his prisoner and the next his arms were several inches shorter, the witch gone from his grasp and into the arms of another and he was feeling _very_ cold, almost as if ice was creeping up his-

The ice sculpture that once was a living being fell to the side and broke to pieces, revealing the targeted creature with one severe case of hypothermia and frostburn.

That was all the opening Tsukune needed. With a dreadful cry, he called on his otherworldly blood as he grabbed the one who endangered little Yukari. Mizuki had only time to exclaim in pain and surprise as bony spikes scraped his flesh before he was gripped by the neck and pulled off Tsukune's body like a snake with its head cut off. Harshly, but without any way to prevent it.

He was summarily and repeatedly slammed to the ground, letting out screams of pain and cracking sounds as his ribs were busted to almost beyond any form of repair.

Despite his pain and oncoming, though merciful, uncosciousness, Mizuki couldn't help but grin evilly; he wasn't Anti-thesis' top spy. As a matter of fact, Anti-thesis would now be more prepared than ever with his valiant sacrifice for their cause and Leader wouldn't let him suffer.

He was quite surprised when he was handed over to Youkai Police a few weeks later; his vaunted 'Leader' didn't care enough about him to save him from incarceration and disgrace.

Yukari on the other hand was being comforted by the mother-hen of the group; Kurumu. The succubus knew best how to treat a scared child, though parts of her wondered if she'd make a good mother for Tsukune's children while another if this was happening way too often.

Mizore just decided to make some ice to help with Tsukune's bruises. Said boy just griped about having ruined _yet another_ uniform. Until the adrenaline wore off that is and he realized everyone was safe.

Quickly he made his way to the upset witch and crouched to her level. "Hey Yukari-chan, he didn't hurt you did he?"

Yukari just bawled harder as she heard his kind voice. Even through the fearful looks she had given him, even though she stayed as far away from him as possible, even though she treated him as a possible enemy rather than a friend... he still cared for her and risked his life for her. She knew perfectly well that had it not been for her, both the mole and her kidnapper would have been handled by Tsukune without any significant trouble. So, she released Kurumu and instead chose to cry on Tsukune's shoulder.

Kurumu was about one step away from remarking on what a good father Tsukune would make, seeing as how he calmed down the sobbing witch in his arms. But, she stayed her mouth for once, not wanting to ruin the scene. That did not mean that she didn't return the challenging smirk of the Yuki-Onna; _'He's _mine_!'_ both of them said to each other.

Minutes later, the committee president came running, flanked by a few members of the Student Police.

"Tsukune-kun! I heard what happened, you're all alright?" He seemed genuinely worried about the boy and quite relieved at the positive nod.

"Yes, I'm fine, don't worry about me. That aside, you, get that _scum_ out of my sight." He said, motioning to the Student Police members. They grunted, not liking being ordered around, but they complied, knowing their jobs.

"Tsukune-kun..." Started Hokuto as he extended his hand towards Tsukune. "I am so relieved that at least you do not back down from Anti-thesis and their threats. Please, work with me so we can change this Academy!"

Tsukune took the offered hand, nodding his assent. "Yes, let us work together to bring peace to this place."

And just like that the deal was made, witnessed by a succubus, a yuki-onna and a witch just drieing her tears. Soon they were joined by a werewolf, another witch and a vampire.

Tsukune could say that this day had been very productive; he had defeated another member of that hated group, protected his friends and he got an ally, a very valued resource these days.

Back in the committee building however, Hokuto's eyes were dark, when a voice came from behind a column.

"Heeeh... I didn't take you for such a liar Hokuto, spewing all this foolishness in the boy's face. You must be better than I thought... Leader."

"Hmph, I didn't lie at all. It was the truth; I'm going to change this Academy and bring it peace, the peace of Death! So, tell me, how did things go on your side... Kiria?"

**A/N: Things never go well for Tsukune, do they? Just when one thing begins to fix, another problem arises. But it is in these great troubles that a hero can be born, even one who isn't all that 'heroic' at all.**

**The matress punching bag comes from personnal experience by the way; when stressed I slash at it with one of my wooden swords. Pretty good for venting, trust me. At least much better than taking it out on your PC or cellphone. And cheaper too.**

**As always, please review, I am only glad to hear your opinions. So long as you don't flame me, I'm open to all forms of criticism, ideas and discussion. Remember; reviewing makes me want to write faster and better, it's in everyone's gain!**

**By the way, here's a basic soundtrack to listen to, by the emotion linked to them:**

**Despair: Crawling In My Skin by Linkin Park**

**Combat: Monster by Skillet**

**Anger: Faint by Linkin Park**

**Determination/Sorrow: Melancholy by Iced Earth**

**Desire: Somewhere I Belong by Linkin Park  
**

* * *

**Today, on this 9/6/2012, I, Soulblazer87, do hereby leave this site, possibly forever.**

**I shall not update this, or any other story.**

**I shall leave them on, however. Should you desire to follow my stories, do so in my new site of residence: www dot yourfanfiction dot com.**


	6. AllOut War

_All-Out War_

The Newspaper Club was as busy as usual that day, or actually even more than before.

Ever since the trouble with Mizuki, the School Committee had grown more dependant on Tsukune, seeing as how he had been the one to reveal and defeat the mole.

Of course, that just meant even more work for the poor boy. At least, they were recognizing his hard work now and even seemed friendlier than before, though with some of them it was rather hard to tell. However, there was one thing that made up for this mess in Tsukune's mind; Hokuto. The third-year was simply put amazing; model student, focused, kind, controlled and with great leadership qualities, enough to make a room full with A-rank Ayashi submit to him without even needing to raise his voice.

He was, simply put, the greatest leader Tsukune could have asked for. After all, they both went for the same goal; peace. In this regard, Tsukune had to admit he wasn't as selfless as the other man. Whereas Hokuto tried to bring peace to the entire Academy, Tsukune just wanted peace and security for his friends and didn't care much about the Academy as a whole. After all, were they not the ones who called for his death when Kuyou tried to burn him alive, when Kuyou _did_ burn him alive? So why should he care for them over his treasures?

It might have sounded cold, but it was true.

Still, the Headmaster's plan was working; by seeing everyone's interactions with each other, rather than his own slightly biased ones, Tsukune began to develop new respect for the robed man and his school. It took a special kind of person to put werewolves and vampires in the same room and not have them try to kill each other.

It made Tsukune feel nice to be part of something like that.

Of course, that would never mean that Tsukune could ever place the Academy over his friends; that was impossible. But, at least he cared about the others enough to be able to restrain himself from attacking them if he entered his combat form. Not much, but it _was_ something.

So, he worked on, even when his friends asked him to help with their newspaper activities; he wanted, he really did. But he had to ensure their safety throughout the festival. After all, Anti-thesis wouldn't go into all this trouble of threatening them and announcing themselves if they gave up so easily, would they? Also, noone knew their numbers, so they could potentially have a hundred combat-ready Ayashi, all directed against his friends. And the Festival would be the easiest way in. He had to make sure they would be safe. Nothing else mattered. Nothing.

It was also a relief, since his determination steeled, he had had an easier time suppressing his Inner Demon, an easier time ignoring its whispers. But they were still there, taunting him, mocking him, telling him how the girls only wanted him for their own gain; Moka for his blood, Kurumu and Mizore to get his children, Yukari for safety and Ruby because she was ordered to by her boss. It still spoke of how little they trusted him, of how little he knew about them and their family, even though he had shared almost everything that he was with them.

Thankfully, Tsukune's constant work prevented him from thinking too much on those things.

But things don't stand still, time waits for none and what little he has in peace grows ever shorter, with him none the wiser.

No, that is not completely correct; he knows something is going to happen, something big, that is why he works so hard. But, Tsukune still forgets; he is now not the same as he was, what he would have otherwise done is not what he should do. Alas, it had only been three weeks since he first ignited the Demon's Blood, three weeks since he learned that it was Moka's blood that, albeit unintentionally, cursed and damned him, three weeks since the demon began torturing him with his own fears and insecurities, plunging him mercilessly into a void of pain and sorrow no being should ever experience. Too short a time for one to accept such drastic changes.

But he was doing well, all things considered. He no longer felt the need to transform at first sign of even potential trouble, no longer had to restrain himself from snarling at anyone who looked at his friends in any way apart from what he considered proper and acceptable. He no longer felt the need to rip and tear those who avoided him, not knowing the torture he was suffering. So, in his opinion, things were going well. Not perfect, but he was getting there. So he hoped. He would never admit it, but that hope never reached the core of his heart. Had it done so, things could have been different.

The rest of the club was strained as well. Not only by the past three weeks' occurences, but also because of the sheer amount of work they had to do. Their teacher had seen it fit to not only have them make an extended version of the newspaper, but also make plans and ads for each and every club and class. As if having their own troubles wasn't enough, their ever-flighty teacher loaded them with work from others as well.

The cat-woman would never know just how close she got to having her Ayashi traits forcibly removed, either via gaping slashes, flash-freezing or simply brute strength. She just giggled, wagged her tail and squinted her eyes as always. If the group were more perceptive however, they would have noticed the look in her eye and the unmistakable look of sadness as she looked at their working forms.

Speaking of the club's activities however also includes their emotional states. While some of them changed relatively little, beyond being stressed that is, such as Mizore and Kurumu, others felt several thoughts flitting through their heads.

Yukari had realized her mistake, not just learned it but also realized it to the depths of her heart, but she still hadn't managed to get some time with Tsukune to apologize. And that made her all the sadder, having not apologized for hurting him over and over again. She didn't fear him any more, she just wanted his reassurance that he wasn't mad at her. Even though she knew he didn't feel any anger towards her, she still wanted to hear it from the boy himself.

Moka on the other hand was reaching her own breaking point, far different than what she had previously experienced. It wasn't Tsukune's transformations that pressured her any more or the state of his soul. It was her relationship towards him and the relationship of everyone else in the Club with him that troubled her. She cared for him, a lot. Beyond just friends, she had found someone she liked, someone who stood by her through thick and thin, someone who, as he other side put it, was 'mate material'. But she couldn't be with him, not because of her pride, she knew her other side could learn to love him as she did. No, it was because of what she was; she was immortal, but he was not. He was mortal, despite all his power, and he would grow old and die. And they would be alone. She knew it, she _knew_ that to be true.

So, why, why was it that every time she saw Kurumu suffocating him in her bust, why was it that every time she saw Mizore talking to him shyly about inconcequential things, little things, why was it that every time that happened, she couldn't help but feel angry? Why was it that every time Tsukune looked at anyone but her with that kind look in his eyes she felt her heart clench in pain? Why? What was that feeling, that great feeling that made her get up even earlier than needed each morning just to walk to school with him? What was it that she felt every time she drank his blood, what was it that made her latch onto his body for a few seconds even after taking his offered blood? What was that nameless, glorious feeling?

The poor girl was worried. Could it have been love? Could it have been _love_ love? She felt her inner self shudder with fear and terror every time that thought passed her mind. She felt _herself_ tremble before the unknown, unvoiced feeling. Did she see Tsukune as a friend or something more? Did she care for him as a friend or as something more? What did she want him to be?

Her logical side claimed it impossible to progress beyond friendship, knowing how different their life expectancy was. And yet, her emotional side wept when she saw him sad, rejoiced when she saw him happy and grit her teeth when she saw him next to anyone but her. Could she be feeling jealousy? Could she be jealous of her friends, for being able to be with him? But that would mean that she saw him as something more than just friends, and that could not happen, could not be allowed to happen. Irony decreed that Tsukune was as unattainable to Moka as Moka was unattainable to Tsukune.

The girl needed some time to think, some time to herself. But there was no time like that, she was so full with work and duties and school and everything in-between that she just couldn't find some time to speak with herself, figuratively and literally.

Looking at the wall, or more specifically the watch on it, she saw the time. It was about the time Tsukune finished his work at the committee. She stretched out like a cat, letting out a small yawn.

"Alright, Tsukune-san should be over with the committee about now, unless they loaded him with _even more_ work..." That produced several groans of dissatisfaction. With their current workload, the group found it much better to form a study group and do their homework right after their club activities. If the boy was heaped up with more work, everything would take a fall for it, including their relationships with said boy. "I'm going to go pick him up, alright?"

Of course, her 'generous offer' was met with a not-so-enthusiastic Kurumu. "No way! I should go pick him up! He's my Destined One after all!"

Mizore couldn't miss such a good opportunity to butt in either of course. "Chill out you big-breasted woman. If you go meet him, you'll never let him out of the woods. Instead I should go, I will make him an icepack to cool his headache..."

Well, the conversation quickly degenerated into one of their patented childish brawls and the girls enjoyed it. They had missed messing around like that, being so carefree. In the end, Moka was the victor, by using the other two squabbling girls as a distraction; while they fought, she snuck out of the class. Of course, that meant war for the succubus and the yuki-onna. So, in that spirit, they set off in a race, their speed leaving papers fluttering in the air.

Yukari almost cursed as she waved her wand around, causing the papers to settle down into neat stacks. Then, discreetly, she checked on her magical table 'Know-know-kun'. A rather simple enchantment, she used its divination magics to know the status of her friends. If one was injured or in danger, the paper charms would respond by changing color; the darker the worse the situation. Relieved she saw that Tsukune's charm was as white as snow.

As she turned her head back to her table, one of the charms began to change color, steadily growing gray...

Kurumu was running as fast as she could, but the laughing vampiress had too great a head start. Next to her Mizore made a 'tsk' sound and pulled on Kurumu, dragging her to the side.

"This way you big-breasted fool, we'll get a shortcut."

Kurumu smiled thankfully at the snow-woman, for once thankful of her sneaky ways.

Moka however knew nothing of that and continued on her set path.

A pair of mismatched eyes and a dark grin.

The charm turned black.

Tsukune was just coming out of the committee meetings, thankfully leaving the others still in; he had finished his part and requested permission to leave to go back to his friends. His work there had taken up a lot of his time and he hadn't had a good chance to speak to them in a long time. As he got out, he saw two figures land before him, panting and drenched in sweat.

"Yahoo! Tsukune!" How the succubus managed to recover that fast and find the energy to glomp him to the ground, he would not know.

Mizore just stood back, too shy to act, but her eyes conveyed non-too-innocent emotions.

The boy rubbed the back of his head and smiled at the friend on his lap. When the Demon spoke about how useful she would be in other endeavours and how he did not accept her as something else, Tsukune's infuriated voice squashed it. He knew of Kurumu's feelings, anyone that was any less dense than a block of lead would. But... the truth is that he was scared, scared of what he could do and, if he was completely honest with himself, he believed she didn't deserve someone as low as himself. She deserved so much better.

So, he steeled his heart against the veritable onslaught of emotions from the girl and grinned at her.

Of course, Kurumu knew much of Tsukune's thoughts. She might be as dense as a brick when it comes to schoolwork, but when it comes to the heart, she _was_ a succubus. She knew of his hesitancy, of his fear. But that didn't dissuade her; she would persevere and pursue him. She would wear down his resistance little by little until he had no choice _but_ to accept her.

Unfortunately, as comfortable as Kurumu was on her Destined One's lap, she had to get up. Oh, she couldn't _wait_ to rub it on Moka's face.

Finally getting the courage to speak, Mizore approached Tsukune as silently as a leaf in the wind. "Hello Tsukune..."

Said boy smiled at her, which caused her to blush, and greeted her back. "Hello Mizore-chan. Not that I mind either of you being here, but shouldn't you be at the club room? I managed to wrap it up quickly here to come over too..."

"Aww! Tsukune! You wanted to join us!" Cooed Kurumu as she drapped herself over Tsukune's arm, a giant smile on her face. Of course, the smile widened further when she saw Mizore's glare; the snow-woman was rather envious of the succubus and the courage she had to do such things.

The group of three began walking back to their club room, but unbeknownst to the sole male of the group, the two girls were wondering about another person's location; that of Moka. The pink-haired vampire had been late and, as much as she might be a rival, she was also a dear friend. Sure they may fight at times, but she _should_ have arrived by now. But, they didn't want to worry Tsukune overmuch with it; if anything had happened, they would have heard about it, right?

So, they talked as they walked, the ever-energetic Kurumu more than the other two of the group, trying to take their minds off things.

It comes as little surprise then that when she stopped talking it drew both parties' interest. When her face twisted in hate, their curiocity and confusion became worry and they turned to look where she had.

They were too late however, and only saw a vanishing figure. That did not deter the succubus as she ran to that direction, calling out a name with a voice so laced with hatred Tsukune almost did a double-take.

"Yoshii Kiria!"

However, Tsukune recognized the name and the reason behind her hatred; while not the entire truth, Kurumu had shared some of what had happened with Moka. Namely that Kiria tried to have her betray Moka to him and Anti-thesis. That did not sit well with the demonblooded at all. It caused his blood to boil, knowing that an enemy was that close.

For all their haste however, they were late when they came to the clearing. Their target was long since gone.

Mizore made a few steps to track him down, but she stopped moving just as Kurumu stopped cursing when they heard someone sniffing the air. Tsukune had put his face in the air and was busy sniffing the air.

"This smell... blood!" His surprised cry shook both females and they realized it was true; there was a scent of blood coming from the nearby building... the committee's building!

The three made their way quickly, Tsukune desperate to learn the truth, see if his friend, Hokuto, had been injured.

But when they entered the large room... they were shocked in disbelief.

It wasn't the blood splattered on the wall. It wasn't the defeated figures of the council members or their groans of pains from those still alive.

It was the lone, victorious figure standing in the center, one leg on a broken part of the table.

"H-Hokuto?" Tsukune's voice betrayed his shock but little else.

When said man turned around, they realized part of Hokuto's true nature. He betrayed little emotion besides disgust, as if the defeated bodies of his supposed allies were nothing but insects.

"Welcome Tsukune. Do you like the renovations I brought to this wretched place?"

Mizore and Kurumu gasped, but not only because of the voice. The sheer aura of malice now radiating from Tsukune told them very well of how angry that had made their crush.

"What have you done, Hokuto! Why would you do this?"

The committee president looked at the brown haired boy with such derision in his eyes that the atmosphere seemed to freeze over. "Why? Why do _you_ ask something as obvious as this? No... if you are really wondering why I did this, then you are a far weaker person than I thought you to be Aono Tsukune. And here I thought that perhaps I would have found another ally, another one strong enough to understand my plan. Unfortunate, but an annoyance really, just like the rest of you trash."

The Divine Lock in Tsukune's hand began to shake and glow as it tried to restrain the fury and demonic energy now seeking to burst forth from the incessed male. He took a step forward and the tiles beneath his feet cracked, not because of the weight or strength of muscle but because his youki began to _disintegrate_ them.

Then, Kurumu's hand touched his shoulder and his fury was reeled in, but no less visible. "Leave him to us Tsukune. He insulted our pride too after all. How dare he trick my Destined One... I always thought you had a villainous face!"

Mizore agreed with the succubus. "Yeah. I'm not very strong because I don't have any experience, but together we should be able to defeat him, even if he beat the other council members..."

"Mizore... Kurumu... let me take care of the scumbag, I don't want you to get hurt..."

His plea was met with a smirk from all three people in the room, but for different reasons each. Hokuto just sneered at them, but Kurumu and Mizore readied themselves for battle.

"Sorry Tsukune, but we have a pride to uphold as well. Besides, you can always jump in!"

And then she was gone, her wings burst forth from her shoulder blades and her nails growing to dagger-esque lengths in less time than it took to blink. In twice that much time, she was next to Hokuto, her slash already well underway.

Hokuto's face clearly showed his surprise at the unexpectedly sudden attack, but his reflexes saved him by leaning back and under the succubus' slash.

That did not protect him from spears of ice that erupted from the floor at the command of an ice maiden. He cursed under the smirk of the blue-haired girl.

"It would be a mistake to think she is alone, traitor. I will not forgive those that betray Tsukune!"

Said boy could only admire the grace and fluid motions of the two fighting females as they fought for him.

Deep within him, his Inner Demon found itself muted by the fact it couldn't twist the events to its liking at all. That did not discourage it however; there would come other times. Other times to convince its errant 'outer personality' that no one loved or cared for him and twist him to its image.

However, the two girls proved to be less than a match to their opponent; Hokuto showed extreme prowess when he finally defeated them both without shifting to his monstrous form. At the moment Kurumu crumbled over his fist on her stomach, Hokuto found himself punched at the temple with enough force to send him flying into a pillar, break down said pillar and crash violently on the wall before sliding down almost unconscious.

Before Hokuto had time to gather his senses, he was grabbed by the neck and lifted in the air effortlessly. He noted how Tsukune's eyes had changed, now having a black sclera and a red-orange iris with a black slit, the eyes of a monster of the highest order. His hands tried to scratch away at the hand strangling him, but they were quickly frozen solid into thick manacles that restrained movement.

Mizore had been rather _inventive_ when making the glacial prison; not only had she made heavy manacles restraining arms and legs, she had draped him with multiple thick chains restricting mobility to practically nothing. Of course, the imprisoned man tried, and promptly failed, to get free. Tsukune however did not concern hiimself with Hokuto any longer, he was already next to Kurumu, checking on her.

When Hokuto next saw Tsukune's eyes, he was shocked to the depths of his soul. They were human, but within them boiled a palpable wrath, a fury, a hate that he could hardly witness. He felt as if a small child before a continent-wide inferno. Tsukune's youki did not make itself visible in the air, it didn't have to. Instead, his entire countenance denoted the complete confidence in the boy; his threates _would_ become reality. "Kaneshiro Hokuto... you took advantage of my friendship and for that I hate you... But you hurt my friends... and for that...** not even Hell will save you!**"

The traitorous president was grabbed roughly by his jacket and pulled along, almost dragged along, by the Akuchi, their destination obvious; Youkai Gakuen and the Headmaster.

Mere seconds after exiting the chamber, they were surrounded by several student police members, all ready for combat. In their middle a grim Kuyou.

The Youko glared at Tsukune for but a second, but he knew what he had to do. The reasons he was appointed as leader were quickly obvious; his subordinates were quickly and efficiently spread out to take care of various jobs; from securing the victims, calling medical assistance, taking account of property damage and even surrounding Tsukune and his prisoner.

The apprehended criminal was escorted by more than a dozen strong Ayashi, Tsukune and his friends walking behind them. It was then that Kurumu turned to Tsukune, her eyes sad and almost fearful.

"Tsukune... the truth is, Moka was coming to get you too, but we split up. She... she should have caught up, but she's nowhere to be found! I... I have a bad feeling about this..."

The boy across her became obviously worried, which gathered a self-absorbed smirk by his prisoner. "I see. As soon as we get this bastard to the Exorcist, we're going to look for her, alright?"

It was not to be, because a name was called into the air by a recognized young girl's voice. "Tsukune-saaaan!" It was the little witch, Yukari, and she looked terrified. She stopped before the brown-haired boy, panting and gasping. "Moka-san... Moka-san! She's in danger~desu!"

Fear, raw fear coursed through Tsukune, the blood that was inflamed before suddenly felt like ice flowing in his veins. He hissed his question. "What?"

The little girl took out several paper charms, each with a name on them and various symbols on them. Those marked as 'Tsukune', 'Kurumu', 'Mizore', 'Gin' and 'Ruby' were white, but the one with Moka's name on was pitch black.

"My magic item 'Know-know-kun'! He tells me when someone is in danger! Moka-san... Her charm turned black-desu! She's in mortal danger-desu!"

Suddenly, the members of the student police surrounding their prisoner found themselves pushed to the side while their target was violently pulled to the ground and found an infuriated Akuchi sitting on him on the verge of transforming.

**"Speak scum! Where is she! Where is Moka!"**

Now, while most of the officers were combat-trained Ayashi and very strong in their own ways, the sheer weight and malice that Tsukune emitted gave them pause. It wasn't the power behind it, it was just how malignant, how vile it felt. They may all be monsters, but apparently some are more monstrous than others.

Eve through the pain of having his windpipe crushed, Hokuto managed to chucle evily. "You'll get nothing from me, fool! You cannot do anything to me, the Leader of Anti-thesis!"

The arrogant traitor was summarily smashed to the ground with enough force to leave a crater and then hoisted up by the recovering Police members. They had to get him to the Headmaster immidiately; who knew what hidden tricks he had up his sleeve?

Before long, Tsukune and the others were entering the Headmaster's office, finding him standing on a flight of stairs.

**"So... it was you after all, Hokuto-kun... too bad, you were such a stellar student..."**

"So you had foreseen that too, right Headmaster-_sama_?" Called out Hokuto, sheer disgust evident in his voice. "That's why you sent someone strong to infiltrate the committee right?"

The Headmaster didn't dignify it with an answer; those involved in those incidents had already been notified of his plans. If Hokuto had planned to gain a follower by 'exposing' his 'master plan', he had failed. After all, the Exorcist's Master Plan was well under way, even with the minor turbulations it was going through. So, instead he pulled out a silver cross from his robes, one recognized by the girls, and even the hiding Ruby, as the cross utilized to raise the barrier back when Tsukune first transformed. A few words later and everyone leapt away from Hokuto, the reason evident; a barrier was erected around him, separating him from the world around him.

Hokuto cursed and used what little mobility he had available to touch the barrier, finding his hands damaged by the supernatural force surrounding him.

**"You will tell us where your allies took young Akashiya Moka Hokuto. It would be in your best interests to do so now rather than force my hand. Otherwise..."** And here the barrier began to grow smaller. **"This barrier will constrict. My presence here is unnecessary. Everyone here has carte blanche on how to make him confess."** Then the Headmaster turned to leave.

Therefore it came as quite the surprise when the imprisoned Hokuto began chuckling and progressively reaching insane laughter.

"YOU are the fool here Headmaster!" That gathered a lot of shock as he suddenly burst the frozen manacles that bound him, his youki exploding outwards of his body and showing just how powerful he really was. The barrier broke into shards and he vanished from sight, appearing behind the Exorcist, his arm already transformed into an inhuman version of his original with several thin but obviously sharp spikes protruding and changing it into a blade of sorts.

The worst part was that his bladed arm had already impaled the Headmaster from behind, going out through the robed man's chest right where his heart should be. The impaled man gasped and coughed in pain before being tossed away by the smirking backstabber.

"It wasn't according to _your_ plan, it was all according to mine!"

Within seconds, and taking advantage of everyone's shock, Hokuto picked up a glittering item from the ground; a silver cross.

True forms were revealed in an instant and even the hiding Ruby revealed herself by appearing next to little Yukari, both witches ready to combine their magical power to strike at the traitor. Tsukune was already running at the traitor, his body bulging at points, indicating his upcoming transformation.

"Hmph, don't interfere weaklings!" With a wave of his now-normal hand, a huge barrier errupted around most combatants, trapping them away from their target.

That included a succubus, an ice-maiden and two terrified witches. They had never felt that much negative power within a single person.

All that was left free and in combat-capable state was Tsukune and the brown-haired boy was rushing his enemy, hands ready to rip and tear as his demonic form was revealed, raw, uncovered flesh and muscles moving like a wave broken by rocks of bone plates to cover him, his limbs changing into the demonic equivalent of a great beast and even sprouting a tail, a tail that dripped a viscous green liquid from its tip.

However, Hokuto stood unfazed before the demonic being rushing him. His hand lazily went into his pocket and drew out a syringe of something. With an immaculate dodge, he stepped into Tsukune's space and jammed it into the boy.

No conscious person would ever forget the scream of pure torture and pain that erupted from the teen as his form began to writhe with pain and spasm as dark bolts of lightning coursed through his body. Blood, black and tainted, spurted from his body as it was painfully and forcefully restored to its human version.

"Can't have you ruining my time now can we, Tsukune? This little poison of mine will restrict you to the power of a human for a little while. Maybe I should free Mizuki after all, thanks to him we got a drop of your transformed blood and were able to devise a counter to its power. But... I wonder Tsukune..." He looked down on the now-kneeling form before him, ignoring the gasps of pain from him and those of fear from the females trapped in his barrier. "Why don't you join me? That power of yours isn't what anyone would call a 'force of good'. You feel them too, don't you, those emotions that wish for destruction alone. That feeling as you sink your claws into the flesh of another, as you destroy them, completely and without trace... So why do you resist it Tsukune? Doesn't it feel _right_ to go along your own instincts?"

Tsukune coughed as he got up painfully, his face filled with wrath and unholy anger. "Yeah, it's true, I feel those instincts, I know them all too well..." Kurumu gasped, fearing that her beloved Destined One had not been what she had thought him to be, knew him to be. "But... even if it's demonic, _I'_m the one who's going to decide what I use it for! You dare hurt my friends you bastard! I'm going to kill you!"

Hokuto quickly leaned back from a sloppy assault by his enemy, taking steps back to avoid his blows. Eventually he grew bored however and grabbed the incoming fist with ease.

"Hmph, so weak. Where did that power of yours go Tsukune, don't tell me that your other form is your only means of combat, you _weakling_!"

His other hand, with the rosario of the silver cross around it met Tsukune's stomach and the boy was sent sprawling away.

"If you're that weak, you can't protect anything, not even yourself! I should kill these whores you call friends just to save them the humiliation of seeing you on your knees!" The threat was followed by a wave of his hand and the entrapment barrier began shrinking, eliciting a cry of fear from those trapped inside.

That moment, Tsukune's Inner Demon said one word and, ever since its sealing, Tsukune _heard_ the word and didn't just feel the demon's general intent. That word: _**"Kill!"**_

He wholeheartedly agreed.

Youki, crimson and black, exploded outwards of the downed boy as his fury was made manifest. A seal in his Divine Lock broke, but he cared not. His enemy, _prey_ one part of him called, had threatened his friends. And that meant _death_.

Tsukune roared in fury and charged Hokuto, his movements wild but focused, brute but also filled with power, and soon the villain found himself slowly backed into a corner under the relentless assault.

However, the world did not stand idle, it moved relentlessly, unconcerned with the fear of a few.

Such was the case for the missing member of the group, Akashiya Moka, as she found herself roused from her unconsciousness with a feeling of dread in her heart.

A voice from behind her startled her before she even had time to wonder why she was unconscious in the first place or even where she was. "Well, well, good morning little princess Akashiya."

That voice caused her to turn sharply, facing the speaker, her fearful green eyes gazing into his apathetic mismatched ones. "K-Kiria?" She couldn't help it; she was scared, she was terrified.

"Yup!" He sounded a bit too cheerful there. "You remember me, I'm so happy! I want to apologize however, even if it was for the plan and under Hokuto's orders, I really didn't want to be that rude in taking you with me. But if you were there, things would not go so well for the plan... Then again things would have been so much more interesting!" He shook his head. "What a pity eh?"

"W-w-what's going on? Why are you doing this?" Her demand may have been part of a burst of courage from her, but that courage quickly vanished when he turned to look at her, that evil, cold look in his eyes.

"Why? Because it would make things so much more interesting, why else? Look around you, Ayashi are held separate from Humans, going along with their boring, static lives, unconcerned with each other's existence! But, isn't that boring? Why not let each other meet and see what happens! The world would end up in chaos and everything would be equal, everyone would be free and everything would be _interesting_! That is the goal of Anti-thesis!"

What an insane thought, considered Moka in her head and even her other side had to agree. What insanity was coursing through these people's mind? "B-but if you do that, _countless_ people will die!"

Kiria shrugged. "So? As long as things get more interesting, I don't care. So, what are you going to do about it 'vampire' Akashiya Moka-san? I really wanted to meet you, you know. Meet the S-ranked monster... It would be so interesting!"

Moka tried to reply, but at that moment, her heart leapt to her throat as she felt another pang of discomfort and her other side recognized it for what it was; the demonic energy was very recognizable if faint. "Tsukune!"

"Oh, your little boy friend?" Mocked Kiria, letting out a single chuckle at the way the girl blushed. "He should be getting what is due, Hokuto should be almost finished with setting up his plan you know. Want to see?"

Kiria didn't wait for an answer and pointed to a weird little thing in front of him, it looked like a large eyeball on top of six slender arachnid-like legs.

"Don't worry, it's a shikigami I raised, it likes people see? Shikigami are bred in pairs and have the ability to transmit real-time information between each other. And guess where this one's pair is?"

The shikigami's eye lit up and an image floated in the air. Moka gasped when she saw what was going on at the other side; Tsukune was desperately fighting Hokuto and she could see the source of her unfomfort; his Divine Lock was cracking slowly and releasing his Inner Demon bit by bit. Her hands reached to her lips as she pleaded Tsukune to stop fighting and then prayed he was fine; he had just been stabbed by Hokuto's arm, an arm that had split into four blade-like thin spikes.

As Tsukune fell to the ground, Moka screamed out his name, reaching into the Shikigami as if trying to touch him. Her hand passed through the illusion of his body, but at the sound of her voice, his head was raised and she could swear he was looking right at her.

Kiria chuckled. "Hokuto's unlike any other opponent you have ever faced before. Raw strength just won't cut it. _You_ on the other hand... as a vampire you should be able to do it. So, what are you going to do?"

Moka was in front of him in a second and Kiria was delighted, he would get to see something interesting after all! Then it was all shattered as instead of fighting him, the girl, tears in her eyes, pleaded with him.

"Please! Take me to Tsukune! He... he's going to loose himself if this goes on! Please take me to him! I beg you! I'll do anything, just take me to him!"

Well, she didn't expect Kiria to grab her by the neck and lift her in the air with one hand.

"You... you are such a _boring_ woman Akashiya Moka... And here I went through the trouble of letting you see him, in hopes I would get to see your real self... and you just had to beg! Boring people like you should die!"

Moka struggled in the grasp, her mind running a mile a minute, trying to get free, trying to reach Tsukune, trying to do _something_, anything!

The silver cross on her chest let out a small sound and she remembered whatever it was that Tsukune had and could free her other side. Her arms reached at her rosario and began pulling away.

Inner Moka felt the pull and reached out to her other side. _"Fool! What are you trying to do! If you pull it off this way, even if you manage it, you yourself will-"_

The outer shell's thought invaded the silver haired vampiress' mind like a white-hot spear. _"I don't care! Tsukune is fighting for us! Look at him! I can't stand this! Even if I vanish, I want to protect him! Save him from becoming _that_ again!"_

Further talk was interrupted as the rosario was broken even slightly and Kiria was forced to leap away from the exploding youki.

"See? You can do it too if you wan-" His speech was interrupted as a kick landed on his face and nearly tore off his head, sending him through several tombstones and trees, landing in a heap.

A silver haired vampiress stood, looking at her broken rosario. Her voice was filled with many emotions as she spoke to her Outer Shell for the last time, as far as she knew at least.

"I see... I see your true feelings now. Don't worry Omote, I will do as you ask. I will protect him."

Inside the Academy, Tsukune was struck again and again, many cuts and stabbing wounds covering his body, results of fighting a clearly superior opponent.

It was all Hokuto could do to not stare in amazement at the boy's toughness; he just didn't go down! No matter how many times he cut and stabbed and bludgeoned him, he just got up, slightly stronger than before. From a source of amusement, it had grown to outright annoyance. It came as a greater surprise when Tsukune's power suddenly leapt in potency and marks, scorcing red runes began carving themselves on his skin.

In the sidelines, the Exorcist was worried for his student. He recognized some of these runes and what they meant... the war between his demonic and vampiric blood was coming at an end, and the demonic side had won. It was absorbing his vampiric side and becoming exponentially stronger. If this went on, the Divine Lock would break prematurely and...

"Stop!" A voice, easily recognized, cut through the ruckus, causing disbelief, relief and even fear in the various onlookers.

Standing at the door, Outer Moka marched into the room, her face unreadable. "Tsukune, it's enough. You can rest now, your body can't take much more now. I will deal with this traitor!"

Said boy slumped in relief, their trump card had arrived, it would be fine now. He gripped his head in pain, trying to make the demon's cries leave him alone.

Hokuto however felt anything but relief. He had no doubt he could best Moka, but Moka _and_ Tsukune, especially since the concoction he had injected into the boy would run its course soon, that he was not sure of winning. Which is why he had had Kiria find a way to take Moka away before initiating the final phase of his plan. And above that, the woman had to come at the worst possible moment; his time limit for using youki had just been reached and he would need too long a time to recover.

"You won't defeat me! I have waited too long for this to happen, suffered too much to get my hands on this item, the 'Rosario of Judgement', the key to the school's Grand Barrier! With it, I can tear down the wall that separates the ayashi and human worlds!"

His plan's announcement caused a wave of shock to course through those present; the man was more insane than any had given him credit for, sans of course Moka, she already knew of it from Kiria. But, his talk also served another purpose; giving him time to activate a spell, bringing him one step closer to his goal.

The floor lit up in light and mystical symbols as the betrayer began vanishing. Realizing what that meant, Moka quickly leapt after him, followed closely by Tsukune, who while not knowing what it was about, he wasn't going to let the girl face his enemy alone.

Behind them, Kurumu and Mizore desperately tried to break through the ever-shrinking barrier, but they could do nothing to it. They had all but given hope when a gravely voice came from the entrance.

"Hoh? You seem to be in a pinch eh, Headmaster?" It was a tall man with a thin moustache and glowing white eyes and a cigar in his hand; easily recognized as the Bus Driver.

The words prompted a painful chuckle to come from the Headmaster as he not-so-unassuming man walked towards him.

In the meantime, Moka and Tsukune were walking in a dark room of unknown expanse. What little ambient light was showed there were dozens of stone pillars around them, but little else.

Moka cursed, their target was getting away and it didn't bode well for them and their mission, namely stopping the Great Barrier from being destroyed.

A light blinded both their eyes as it erupted in front of them, revealing a smiling Hokuto behind an altar, an altar that looked like a mystical control console. And his smile meant nothing good for the two.

"So you finally arrived. No matter, this is my victory. With this altar, the so-called 'Altar Of Darkness', I will be able to tear down the barrier that separates the two worlds and bring equal chaos to all!"

"Hokuto, why are you doing this? It's insane!" Tsukune's voice showed the emotional pain he was going through, the feeling of betrayal he was feeling. It was all the more visible now, now that the adrenaline from fighting had passed.

"Why? Why? What are you talking about Aono Tsukune? Haven't you been persecuted too? Just for being a human, haven't you also felt the pain of their hate? No matter, I have had enough time to prepare, it's all over now!"

Before either Tsukune or Moka had time to react, Hokuto placed the Rosario Of Judgement, the sacred relic of the Headmaster into the altar. The rush of youki was palpable and they both knew what that meant; the barrier was shutting down.

Moka's hand touched Tsukune's shoulder and held him back from desperately attacking. "Focus, Tsukune. Such a barrier is not destroyed in an instant, we still have time. If you rush, you will just be a target!"

Hokuto on the other hand ignored them and laughed maniacally. "Can't you hear it? Can't you feel it? It's a magnificent sound, like an opera! An opera of destruction!"

He was stopped from saying more by a vicious kick from the silver-haired vampiress, sending him sprawling on the ground. He was quickly disregarded by both of his opponents in favour of trying to undo the progressive destruction of the barrier.

"You bastards... why do you keep interrupting me!"

Hokuto's voice shocked bot Tsukune and Moka; he was the first enemy to receive a head-on kick from her and stand up mere seconds later. Even Midou needed several minutes to get up. The youki that exploded outwards of the antagonist was dark and viscous and also terribly familiar to Moka, as if she had felt something similar before.

"Especially _you_ Tsukune... being a human, you should understand another human's desires!" Now that threw both in for a loop, giving the time for Hokuto to take off his jacket and search, revealing a shocking item wrapped around his arm; a silver and gold chain held by a padlock, much like Tsukune's Divine Lock. "What, you didn't think you were the only human did you? Fool! Weakling! Let me show you my true power!" And with that, the seal was removed.

Tsukune and Moka both backed off from the rapidly mutating and growing form of their enemy, revealing his 'true' form; a being made out of bone more than flesh, with thin limbs that grew into blades and scythes.

**"You will not stop me!"** His very voice was distorted by the youki coursing through him as he slashed in every direction, cutting through the pillars as if they weren't even there.

Moka only had a split second to choose what to do and her choice came easily, almost instinctively and that would cause her much trouble when she had time to think about it.

It was her that knocked Tsukune away from a lashing blade, getting a nasty cut on her thigh.

"Moka!" Cried out Tsukune before turning towards Hokuto, his eyes glaring into his enemy, the target of his demonic fury. "You bastard!"

Youki surged around Tsukune straining his Divine Lock as he tried to transform, access the power within him. His power, his demonic blood waged war with Hokuto's injected concoction but eventually... it won out.

With the sound of tearin cloth and a deep growl, Tsukune's demon form was revealed, standing before Moka protectively.

Hunched forward like a beast, his muscles tensed as he readied himself to pounce on his prey, the large insect-like form of the traitor. With a burst of power, he was gone, sailing through the air, his claws cocked back and ready for a devastating slash.

Moka sighed as she watched Tsukune fight like an animal. She didn't want to see him like that, she hated it when he was like that. But, she was a proud Super Vampire and wouldn't waste time thinking about such things; she had other more pressing matters to attend to; namely an enemy that was pushing even Tsukune's respectable demonic form back. She crouched forward sligtly and then leapt at her target as well.

Hokuto fought like a demon possessed, but he was faced _against_ one as well as a Super Vampire, a combination that would give anyone pause. His scythe like arms lashed in a flurry of strikes that human eyes could not even follow, but his enemies reacted to them quickly and struck back with their own. The male Akuchi had the role of the 'shield', taking otherwise crippling blows with not even a grunt of pain and making way for his partner, the female vampire, the 'sword' to strike. One by one, his arms were crushed, broken and slashed, his body repeatedly injected by poison from Tsukune's tail and even some parts of him had been melted off by the Akuchi's acidic spit.

"You will not stop meee!" His cry of denial was met with a furious snarl by the vampiress just before being followed up with one of her devastating, full-power kicks.

"We don't fight alone you scum! Our bonds are much heavier than your determination!" When her blow landed, he felt his bones rattle and break under the force of the kick and he was tossed roughly on the ground, skidding to a stop.

Moka stood in front of the wounded demonblooded calmly, victoriously. "Know your place, fool. Your plan failed the moment you involved Tsukune in those pathetic games of yours."

But, when she turned to look at said boy, her heart froze. His demonic form did an excellent job of hiding his injuries, but back in human form, he looked as if he had been repeatedly torn apart by dozens of blades. He looked as if barely holding it together. When he collapsed into her arms, barely conscious, she was seriously worried; Tsukune had no ability to heal fast beyond an Ayashi's natural healing capabilities, but even they required time. Time that her friend did not have.

Hokuto let out a dark chuckle, his voice still raspy, interrupted by bloody coughs. "Heh...fool... don't you see? Noone loves you, no one cares for you Tsukune... It was just your superior monster blood that killed me... There is no such thing as 'heroes'... They are just going to hate you in the end... I die happy, knowing that... one day... you will know... my... pain..." And then his eyes grew dark and he breathed his last, his soul no longer able to hold on to his decimated body.

Moka on the other hand was at the verge of freaking out. She needed to do something quick, something to save him! She could remove his Lock, but then the demonic side would take over, taking advantage of his momentary weakness. Other than that... the only thing she could do was...

Her fangs elongated and she bit into Tsukune's neck, taking only a drop of his delicious blood before injecting her own, hoping beyond hope that it would save him and not damn him worse than he already is.

Unseen by her, the Divine Lock in his arm lost the golden parts on it as they turned a brilliant silver. The seal was equalized. Black and silver, two powers that were being pitted against each other.

But all the girl did was hope that the rosary would contain his Ghoul nature, filter it away from his awakening power like it did for his demonic side. She could only hope.

When he shook in her hands and opened his eyes, his familiar, kind, brown eyes, she would never say how happy she was, how happy she was that he was with them and not lost.

A familiar voice interrupted the pair, breaking them from staring at each other wordlessly.

"Yahoo! Tsukune! We're here!"

Kurumu's cheerful cry brought a smile on Tsukune's face, her upbeat personality reminding him of better days. Hanging off her was Yukari while Mizore was held aloft by Ruby.

The group was quickly briefed by Moka on the going ons and Ruby was the one to voice a way to try to fix things, seeing as how the Exorcist was on his way but not there yet.

They 'just' had to pour their own youki and refill the seals that upheld the barrier. Easier said than done, considering who it was that made the barrier in the first place. The amount of demonic energy needed would be... astronomical.

The girls gathered around the altar, placing their hands on the Rosary of Judgement when another hand was placed over theirs, this time a masculine hand. Tsukune's hand.

"I can help too, since it's not fighting, I can at least help with this."

Everyone nodded and their demonic energy answered the call of their will, surging into the silver cross under their hands.

More and more energy was spent in the upholding of the barrier, but it quickly became obvious how much they needed, especially when Yukari's hand fell off the group, her power drank dry. She was followed within moments by Ruby and then Kurumu and Mizore.

In the end, only Moka and Tsukune held on, their superior youki still surging into the seal, feeding what seemed to be an endless void, trying to fill a container whose size the couldn't even perceive.

When Moka lost her strength, it came suddenly, almost as if switching a light. She fell to her knees, her hand sliding off the altar and her eyes grew dark. The last thing she saw was a bright flash and something silver in front of her, something... shaped like a cross.

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**A/N: My humblest apologies for the delay despite your reviews. However, my authoring took a back seat when confrontedwith several tests, including my driving's. Also, I had to make this chapter as best as I could and that includes changing Hokuto's plans and the events that followed said plans. Do not forget; Hokuto was a genius and therefore, I must portray that properly in my fics.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well and that I managed to create the tense atmosphere of the events.**

**It was hard to make a proper plan for Hokuto to use, mainly because there are really few things that would lead to a predictable conclusion whenever Tsukune is introduced. How to predict what a demon would do? The chapter until up about halfway, including Moka's separation from the group leaves me with a bitter taste, as if I didn't do good enough. I am stumped as to what else I could have done to maintain some continuity... After all, plans like Hokuto makes do not get dismantled in an instant; if something unforeseen comes along, they have to be adjusted not cancelled.**

**Yes the chapter has character death and it is where things will begin to change, as so far I haven't messed around with the continuity too much.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and, as always, please review and feed my Lady Inspiration's apetite. She's **_**insatiable**_** that one!  
**

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**Today, on this 9/6/2012, I, Soulblazer87, do hereby leave this site, possibly forever.**

**I shall not update this, or any other story.**

**I shall leave them on, however. Should you desire to follow my stories, do so in my new site of residence: www dot yourfanfiction dot com.**


	7. Resolution

_Resolution_

When Moka woke up, she gasped loudly. She did not expect to awaken, ever. In fact, she had pretty much written her weak, emerald-eyed self out, sacrificed to save her first and best friend.

_"Omote!"_ Her inner self's mental voice rang in her head. _"You're awake, finally! It has been three days since the fight. Everyone has been worried sick about us, I can tell."_

"U-Ura-chan! What, how? I-I tore off the rosario, how did?"

_"The Headmaster is a far more capable man than we thought him to be. He managed to repair it, for the most part. He said he could not completely mend it, what with the way you broke the seal, but he said that unless we put yet more pressure on it, it would only allow us an easier way to converse, and me a way to experience the world outside of a fight."_

The pink haired version of herself giggled, happy for her other side. "It's all good then, right? It's actually better than before!"

That did not sit well with the ethereal representation within the rosary, she was still worried about Tsukune and the after-effects of her actions that day. _"Fool! How can things be alright? Tsukune was almost murdered before us, taking strikes that were meant for us! Even _I_ have to admit that it was an admirable way to fight; knowing he could not finish things on his own, he sacrificed himself and became a shield for me. Do you not remember how he looked after he returned to his human form? Do you not remember how his heart did not beat before I injected him with our blood?"_

It was as Inner Moka said and her outer shell could only hold her head in sudden pain as memories flowed into her awareness, seeing how her other side fought and was protected by the human boy. "U-Ura-chan... I... I remember now... Poor Tsukune-san... He considered Hokuto his friend..."

_"Yes, this time, not only did he kill willingly, but also one he considered a friend. I... fear... that it will affect him much more than he will show..."_

"Ura-chan? You are worried about him? You didn't like him much, did you?"

The sealed vampire hummed at her outer form's question. _"It is true. And I don't see him as you do either. However, he is an admirable warrior and has my respect for holding back his demonic side as he is. Moreover, he is also a very good friend, someone who has risked for my sake. It is natural that I would worry about him."_

The pinkette however wondered if perhaps her sealed form wasn't completely honest about her beliefs. But that would be wishful thinking right?

In another room, Tsukune woke up drenched in sweat. He had had a nightmare about the events of the last time he was conscious. About the time he killed Hokuto.

Killed what could have been a friend.

But, beyond even that psychological trauma, he had heard Hokuto's last words. And, as much as he didn't want to believe them, as much as he wanted to claim they were the foolish ramblings of a dead traitor, a final attempt to sow discord amongst the ranks of those who defeated him, a final act of malice... as much as he wanted to deny them, they still rang in his ears, shaking his resolve with their finality.

It took him a few seconds to realize where he was, take in the pure white environment and groaned. The hospital, _again_. Seriously, they should get him a ward just for his usage. At least he healed quickly, from what he had been told at least. Just, with all these fights, visiting the hospital once a week was pretty much a given.

A stray chuckle escaped him when the thought of getting a locker in for his own usage passed his mind. It would definitely help; can't have everyone running to his room to fetch him clothes, since the ones that saw a fight never saw another day.

It was weird, he surmised, that state of mind. On one side he was furious at Hokuto and sad at what he did. On the other side, a part of him wanted to laugh at the hilarity of it all, flip the world the bird and just... walk away. He wondered if that's what humans call 'insanity'. Another chuckle came when, even in his mind, he didn't consider himself a human any more. Hard to, all things considered.

Tsukune breathed deeply and let the air out slowly, trying to focus himself and calm down. Wouldn't do good if he broke down in insane laughter at the slightest provocation, nor would it be good if he got all depressed. He didn't have time for that; he had to ensure the school's safety so as to secure the safety of his friends. At least Hokuto had done the majority of the work for him.

_**"Maybe... he wasn't as certain of his betrayal as you think, foolish brat... maybe, you **_**didn't**_** have to kill him... maybe you **_**murdered**_** him because you hated him! Because he was superior to you in **_**all**_** ways! Your own weakness caused you to **_**murder**_** your friend! Murderer! Killer! Do not preach your purity to me, me who knows every part of you!"**_

That voice! He remembered it, he _knew _it, he _felt_it every time he transformed. The voice of his Inner Demon, the malicious, vile part of him.

He wanted to deny it, he wanted to deny it so much.

But he couldn't. As much as he hated it, it could be speaking the truth... And if it was true...

Tsukune shook his head and ignored it pointedly. Getting dressed was a simple thing, interrupted only when a nurse came in; apparently they found out he was awake and came to check.

Mere moments later Tsukune was quickly walking to Moka's room. He was only in the hospital due to his near-exhaustion of energy, his body had been healed within the same day but his youki took much longer to recover. But, at the same time, he was worried about Moka. She too had been exhausted and with the seal being repaired, as he was informed by a note sent by the Exorcist via the nurse, she would be in even worse condition than him. Sure blood helped vampires recover faster, but who knew the effects of her seal, it having been broken in such a way?

He was just about to open the door to her room when it opened and a surprised Moka came out. Colliding with him in the process and ending up with both of them sprawled on the ground, limbs tangled.

"T-Tsukune!"

"M-Moka-san!"

Of course, the moment just had to be interrupted by a certain succubus with the absolute _worst_ sense of time _ever_. Namely Kurono Kurumu.

"Hey! Don't hurt my Tsukune, Moka! It's bad enough when you drink his blood every day!"

Realizing their position, the two disentangled themselves and leapt to their feet faster than you can say 'Kurumu'.

Much to the succubus' ire however, they just blushed at each other and began apologizing. Though, she wouldn't ever admit it, but she liked the sense of normalcy, of winding down from all that fighting.

Deciding to go with their 'everyday ritual', Kurumu moved to glomp Tsukune and smother him in her chest. Alas, she forgot the new addition to the club, named Shirayuki Mizore, who promptly froze her mid-air, coming out from her hiding place under a bench.

"Don't hurt my future husband you big-breasted fool. He's still recovering. Instead I will take care of-"

She too was interrupted, but this time by Yukari, the little witch magically creating a basin and having it fall on her head.

"Don't get between Moka-san and Tsukune-san desu! I will not allow you to spoil my sandwitch!"

There was only one thing Tsukune could do to all that chaos. Laugh. Laugh until it hurt to breathe, look at his friends and promptly fall back down laughing.

God, he had missed being so carefree, he had almost forgotten... just how fun Youkai Gakuen was!

Seeing the boy laugh caused a chain effect with the girls, they too broke down in merry laughter, finally able to let out all that stress.

There is something to be said about laughter's therapeutic capabilities.

Amongst their laughing and joking, the group managed to check out from the medical wing, a procedure made rather hard by the fact that all doctors and nurses recognized the group and greeted them like old friends, even ending up discussing random things with them, such as the weather, criminal activity or even popular ayashi heroes and legends.

As the group emerged from the building, they decided to head to the cafeteria to hang out, see their class mates and generally do what humans called 'chill out'. Which meant that Mizore would watch over Tsukune from some branch or behind some bushes, Yukari would try to convince Moka and Tsukune to take her to their bed and Kurumu would chat up Moka about clothes and fashion.

Finally getting there, slower than usual due to meeting several friends they had made and exchanging pleasantries, as well as jokes about Tsukune's 'harem' and how they ended up in the hospital (Tsukune honestly hoped he'd stop blushing at that at _some _point in time), they got their usual table and got themselves something to munch on, human 'junk food', imported straight from the human world.

It was about that time that Tsukune began feeling thirsty, _real_ thirsty. Kind of natural since he had been fed intravenously in the hospital, his throat felt parched. Getting up, he got the orders of everyone, along with the customary tomato juice from Moka, and went to get something to drink.

When he returned, the bottle of water was drank in short order, but it did little to slate his thirst. Quickly, he went to get another bottle, and then another and then another.

Nothing.

It didn't work, water didn't slate that thirst.

No it _did_ slate his thirst, but that was no normal thirst. It was deeper, more pronounced, a _need_.

Could it be a side effect from his demonic side? He _had_ heard its voice after all, maybe the demon had something to do with it?

He got his answer quickly. _**"Of course not, why would **_**I**_** care about something like that? No, this is all **_**you**_** boy, this is **_**all you**_**. Remember that!"**_ It's laughter was positively disconcerting, but he managed to ignore it.

Still, it worried him, especially since he was actually hearing his demon, instead of feeling its thoughts like he used to. Maybe the Divine Lock was breaking? He sneaked a look at it and noticed the changes.

Several links had been broken but definitely not all of them. But the biggest change was another; the small golden details on each cross at the center of each obsidian link... had turned silver. What that change signified, he had no idea.

But... when he made a body check, alternating his attention to each part of his body, he noticed something strange. Or to be exact, several somethings.

His body felt brand new, no aches or stiffness. His eyesight was sharp and he could smell the shampoo Kurumu used, strawberry by the way. He made a fist and saw nerves and muscles bulge as if he had trained all night.

That was _definitely_ weird. What was happening to him? Last time he had felt that great was when...

His breath hitched on his throat, but he managed to cover it with a laugh and a cough at Kurumu's joke.

"U-umm... guys, okay girls!" He amended quickly seeing their playful glares. "I need to go see the Headmaster, can we drop by his office later? I think... I think I'd like him to check my Lock. I mean, he can repair Moka-san's Rosario right? So, what if he can run some maintenance on my Lock? It kind of looks beat and well, wouldn't want it breaking right?"

Kurumu was quick to agree. "Alright! Besides, you can't have broken hardware, it's just _so_ wrong. I mean, you only have one piece of jewelry on you, you _have_ to take care of it! But I think you'd look cute with an earring too, something small and subtle. Or you could have a small silver chain on your arm! One that you actually _let_ us see. That would look nice too!"

Tsukune could only chuckle at the succubus' stream of ideas about his image. If he let her go on like that, she'd drag him to every store in Japan to get him proper clothes and even then they wouldn't be enough!

Thank god Kyoko wasn't there at least. That girl might be a tomboy, but she exemplified any woman's natural want of shopping. Unfortunately, she kept her strange tastes there as well, which more often than not caused problems for the Aono boy.

Amidst a lot of laughter and various jokes in the group, with some Yukari trying to shamelessly grope Moka, the group made their way to the Headmaster's office. It had been renovated, now having Ruby as a secretary stationed on an office of her own outside the heavy wooden doors.

The elder witch was instantly glomped by an excited Yukari and reacted by calmly patting the little witch's head. "Tsukune-san! Everyone! I'm so glad you came by to see me! Many, many things happened in the past few days, but everything's back to normal now!"

Of course, they greeted the witch back happily as well, she had stood by them when they needed her, even against an enemy that had almost killed her new Master.

_**"Once an enemy, always an enemy! She's just biding her time! Making you trust her! She will betray you! After all, wasn't it because of you that her Mistress died? Her blood is in your hands and **_**your**_** blood will be in hers if you trust her!"**_

Apart from laughter, there was also something to be said about a demon's perseverence.

"Ruby-san, is the Headmaster available? We'd really like to talk to him..."

The witch nodded and let them past, but her eyes turned sad and troubled when they went through the door. Almost as if she knew what they would say and hear.

More lies and deceit.

Was it really for the greater good?

She didn't want to know, not really. She just hoped it worked out in the end.

But the group knew nothing of that, so when they entered the Headmaster's office, they were once again taken aback by the ritualistic and eldritch artefacts lining the walls. The scent of candles and subtle incence hang on the air, giving it a powerful mystical aura.

The master of the Academy stood dressed in his expected white robes, his back towards them. Then he turned towards them and his eyes, somehow glowing white as always, narrowed but in greeting. **"Greetings Tsukune-san, Moka-san, Kurumu-san, Yukari-san and Mizore-san. I am sure you have many questions as to the events. Very well, you have earned your answers. Ask away."**

"Well, first I want to ask about the Akuchi, have you learned anything about what... what I am?" Asked Tsukune, receiving a nod from the Exorcist.

**"Indeed I have. Not much, but enough. Scavenged from the tomes of insane magi who experimented on those bearing the Aku no Chi, rumours and legends from mystics and even tomes of forbidden knowledge and history. The first you have to understand about Demonblooded is their adaptability; there is no demonblooded whose demonic form is the same as that of another. Every bearer of the demonic taint has a demonic 'ideal' within them, what best represents their sense of a powerful demon or such similar belief. Your demonic blood allows your body to 'ascend' in a sense, closer to that ideal, thereby taking the demonic form. What truly makes it hard to classify or combat an Akuchi is the fact that you constantly change and evolve."**

"What do you mean Headmaster? Aren't Akuchi like other monsters?" Asked Moka, voicing her Inner's question.

**"Not exactly. Haven't you noticed? Tsukune-san's tail now drips poison, a very lethal kind too from what we deduced from Hokuto's corpse. A hemotoxin actually, it prevents the blood from receiving any oxygen, thus asphynxiating the entire body. Does not last long outside 'incubation' environment however. But the point is another; you did not have that ability before. Through time, other demonblooded have been known to possess other, varied abilities. Covering their bodies with elements, phenomenal strength, speed or toughness, elemental manipulation even magical abilities. From what we have gleaned of Tsukune-san's combat skills, it seems that your resilience as a human has passed on into your war form, gifting you with naturally hard armor and the ability to shrug off minor blows effortlessly. It is also possible you will gain strong regenerative abilities later on. Or it may change direction and grant you an overwhelming offence by way of extra appendages to attack with. It is unknown, but we **_**do**_** know that an Akuchi's deepest wants **_**can**_** affect his form's evolution. There have even been instances of spontaneous bursts of evolution, but those who underwent them were at the very least unstable due to their Inner Demon's influence."**

"Whoa! So Tsukune can become more powerful than he already is?" Asked a very hyper Kurumu. The fact that her Destined One could become as strong as a Vampire was a serious bunch of points in his gain. The feeling was mirrored in Mizore; strong fathers gave strong children after all, not to mention he would be able to defend her and her children from any attack. Moka's inner self however was quite annoyed at the possibility of another ayashi becoming stronger than her.

The Headmaster quickly dissuaded such thoughts. **"Not immidiately and not with certainty. He would have to train long and hard to gain the power you think he will get, much like any other ayashi would. The only difference is that while an Ayashi has a staple of powers determined by birth and lineage, an Akuchi has access to a variety of powers he may come to possess. It is really a difference in opinion as to which side is better. After all, there **_**have**_** been instances where a yuki-onna was able to put even a vampire on the run. Maybe not defeat, but definitely require serious work to avoid dieing."**

"Yahoo! Tsukune-kun is so cool!" Cheered Kurumu as she draped herself over Tsukune's arm, again. Mizore's glare at that action almost materialized in ice kunai. Almost. The intent was hard to miss however.

"A-Anyway!" Said Tsukune, trying to avoid blushing due to Kurumu's actions. "There's something else too... my... my Lock, I know you know that some links have broken but... I can... _hear_ my Demon now... I thought it would make it go away!"

The robed man sighed deeply as he turned away from Tsukune, gazing into nothingness for a second. **"Yes, I know. However... your Divine Lock functions differently from Hokuto's Holy Lock, on which it was based upon. Hokuto's seal functioned by diffusing the youki that entered it and sealing away the power. Yours acts much like a filter. It does not only diffuse power, it filters it first. When you broke some of the links, regardless of how necessary that action was, you loosened up the filter as it were. The seal was made that way in order to allow you to get used to your new powers and responcibilities, surely you didn't expect it to hold off your other side forever, did you?"**

Now Tsukune was quite embarassed for letting his fear get the best of him. "I know that! But, so soon? I mean..."

**"Do not worry, your soul is still yours. I had originally planned on spending time, allowing you to grow accustomed to a number of links before reducing them progressively until you no longer needed the seal. But it happened too fast, before you were truly ready for it... I fear you will need a lot of work to tame your demon, more than otherwise needed... I am truly sorry for this, but you know there were few alternatives and none of them appealing..."**

Tsukune nodded, understanding the Exorcist's problems. Sure, he might not have shared the robed man's devotion to the Academy, but he could understand his position and the troubles that came with it.

"U-Umm..." Spoke a hesitant Moka as she looked shyly towards the Headmaster. "U-Ura-chan wants to ask what is going to happen with Tsukune and... and our blood... I mean... will... will it change Tsukune? Since he was so close to..." She couldn't finish that sentence, she knew very well what he was close to becoming, what he had almost become because of her haste in injecting him with her monster's blood and her own weakness, needing him to protect her at every turn.

The man's face twisted into a wide smile for the first time in the meeting, showing perhaps some twisted form of amusement or even scientific interest taken too far. **"What a great question. Well, then, Tsukune-san, do **_**you**_** feel any different?"**

"W-well... apart from being _really_ thirsty all the time... not really, no."

**"And there you have it. I already knew there was a possibility of him being infused with vampire's blood, so I added a few clauses to the seal about it as well. It should keep the urges down until you learn to control them. Of course, the fact that your own demonic power awoke, changing and adapting your body to youki, also played a good part; most who are injected with so much vampiric vitae usually loose their minds and become raging berserkers. In your case, it combats your demonic power and weakens both while also contained by the seal. So do not worry young Akashiya Moka-san. Tsukune-san is just thirsty, nothing serious."** Of course, he just 'forgot' to mention that Tsukune was thirsty for blood; a side effect that could not be locked away by the seal, being an integral part of vampirism.

"A-Anyway, can you repair the Lock? I mean... re-set the filter or something?"

A shake of the head. Negative. **"Unfortunately, no. Such magic is not adaptable in the slightest, which is why it is so usefull. If a seal was adaptable, it wouldn't be a seal at all, not to mention allowing your demon to adapt to it and bypass it. At least this way you still have a lot of control over it, maybe its for the best. I am sorry, but I must get to some business now, so you should go off and enjoy the festival. You did work hard to ensure its safety after all, it is you just reward."**

The group nodded and bowed before exiting, leaving the Exorcist to gaze back where he was before. A small silver rosario... with black burns like those of a hand wrapped around it. A sigh and then a grin. The upcoming times would _definitely_ be more interesting.

The morning, lunch and early afternoon was passed with everyone together, bonding after the near tragedy that had befallen the Academy, a tragedy they could talk to no one about. They were also joined by Gin, the werewolf shamelessly trying to grope or peep, but with the help of the girls he was restrained, at least somewhat.

They couldn't fault him for his intense questioning either, he had been kept out of the loop so much it was natural for him to wonder what was happening to his kohai. Tsukune and the others apologized and filled him in some things, but not everything. For example, while they told him about Hokuto's betrayal, which caused new rumours to spread out due to eavesdroppers, they omitted the part about the Altar Of Darkness and the Rosario Of Judgement. Wouldn't do good if there were other disconcerted students wanting to follow in the traitor's steps. Also, they made sure to keep Tsukune's Aku no Chi ability hidden, since they didn't know how he would react to it.

In the end however, the group had to split up and go to their rooms; it was the first day of the festival tomorrow and they had to get ready for it.

That didn't stop them from meeting again when the night fell, gathering on a roof with snacks and drinks to relax in the show of magical fireworks that lit up the sky.

The next day came all too soon for Tsukune but he was refreshed when he woke up. He quickly got dressed and readied himself for his duties that day. Being in the committee, or rather being the only conscious member of the committee, he had a lot of work to do. Making sure everything went as normal was amongst them. He was given a number of people to help of course, but a lot of things had to be done by him personally. It didn't help that as Class Manager, he had to do at least one shift at his homeroom's stall.

Making sure everything was in place and his hair was combed well, as rare as that was, he placed the pin with 'Committee Member Aono Tsukune' on his chest and left to greet some of the more important guests that would arrive. It was a time-consuming work, but he had to do it. How else were they to show how great a security they have, if not by providing escort in the form of the one to save the school? Even if most students didn't know of the full truth, there were others who _did_, especially the fact that Hokuto was the leader of Anti-thesis. By showcasing Tsukune as it were, the Headmaster was gaining a lot of prestige.

Tsukune just prayed the guests didn't ask about what kind of monster he was; some of them would be able to deduce the truth and that wasn't something he wanted. It could, after all, complicate things and, god forbid, take him away from his friends. And _that_ he would not allow.

Tsukune's second-to-worst fears were unfortunately correct; greeting VIPs was mind-numbingly boring, tedius and annoying. At more than one point he seriously considered letting his Demon run wild, if even to get some excitement, _anything_ to save him from that boredom.

It was with _great_ joy that he was finally able to step out and leave things to the Headmaster. He was sure that the robed man was getting some form of perverse pleasure in watching him react to nobles and high-strung ayashi. Tsukune was at least glad he could use the occasion as training; if he didn't go berserk on all these people, then he had a pretty good hold on his Demon.

But, in the end, he was freed and it was only the thought of making a spectacle that prevented him from leaping into the air screaming 'FREEDOM!' at the top of his lungs. At least, now that he was free of his duties for the day, he could go around and enjoy the festival for a change.

So, first stop, he decided, was his homeroom's own stall. Led by Shizuka Nekonome-sensei, their subject was... _goldfish scooping_...

Seriously, was fish and food the _only_ things in that woman's mind? Then again, with teachers like Kagome Liliko, it was best to _not_ know some things.

When he got there, he had to chuckle amusedly; Moka was already there, tending to the little pool of goldfish. Dressed in a kimono, she looked illegaly cute and beautiful.

Which, as always, meant that many people of the male persuasion were looking at her as if she were the most stunning thing they had ever seen. She probably _was_.

Still, it was hopelessly funny to watch the poor girl freak out at all the attention.

When they started harassing her, the joke was over.

Just as Moka called for someone to save her, preferably Tsukune rather than a pervert like Gin, lo and behold; her saviour broke through the wall of admirers and fans. His hand grabbed hers and pulled her with him, away from her army of lovesick puppies.

Said lovesick puppies tried to follow the pair. Keyword; tried. Tsukune pulled her at small indent in one of the many walls and flush onto his body. As much as he would claim he did it to hide her, he would also never admit that the way she was pressed against him, the blush that overtook her face, the way their breaths mingled... they set his blood ablaze in a far different way than his demonic blood ever could.

The pair stared at each other's eyes, afraid of what could happen if they spoke the other's name but also wanting, _desiring_ that very outcome. Moka could see every hint of stubble that was trying to appear from Tsukune's face just as easily as he could witness how magnetically beautiful her green eyes were.

Unbeknownst to the two, someone placed between them scowled, but mostly because she couldn't define why she didn't like the way the two looked at each other.

The spell was broken by Tsukune. Confronted so directly with the girl that haunted his dreams in both her forms, the girl he felt such great _need_ to be with, he broke it on his own.

_**"Coward! Take her, take her like she wants to be taken! Like you want to take her! You desire her, you want her, you **_**lust**_** after her. I know of your dreams, of making her squirm under your touch, cry out your name, of dominating her beneath you. Kukuku, you are not as 'pure' as you make yourself to be, boy."**_

Tsukune's eyes narrowed in the annoyance and he sighed at Moka's inquisitive look. "Don't worry Moka-san, a certain... roommate... of mine is being annoying."

"Oh..." She had worried for a moment that his look of annoyance had been directed to her. But the truth was much worse; his Inner Demon. It never failed to kill the atmosphere. Then she cheered up, remembering she was at his company, alone for once! "Anyway! Let's go for a walk! Like the roof!"

Tsukune readily agreed. Time spent with Moka was time well spent.

So in short order, the pair was overlooking the mass that was enjoying the festivities. Sounds and scents of people, the lifeblood of a city. Chaos, but ordered and controlled.

"It's really lively, isn't it Moka-san?" He never voiced his thought _'Just like Hokuto had said it would'_.

"Yes... it's beautiful too isn't it?"

It took a lot out of Tsukune to drown out the cliche reply of 'not as beautiful as you though'. Instead he went another way. "Y-you look pretty too, Moka-san. In a kimono or even casual dress, you look very beautiful as well."

The girl blushed and twidled her fingers, embarassed but also happy. "W-w-well... I-I... I never got to go to festivals like this, so it's my first time... and... I always wanted to go to one..." There she paused for a bit, unsure as to how to proceed. "If... if you don't mind... could... could we spend the night together? A-alone?"

At that moment, Moka looked so vulnerable and cute that if she asked him to leap off the roof, he would have done it. As it were, he was only overjoyed to agree. Part of him however hoped that she said the words he longed to hear; _"Then it's a date!"_.

But he could not hope, he could not allow himself to hope, to want, to desire. As much as he _did_, he wasn't allowed to.

_**"Of course you can't be with her you fool! What do you take her for? She is a super vampire, the elite of the elite, a princess. Why would she be with a half-breed human-born scum such as you? You think she would ever have you? You think she would ever accept you boy? One as tainted as you?"**_

Again that despiccable voice, that malicious feeling, those depressing thoughts.

But the demon was right. She was royalty, even he knew that. Just being a vampire made her a noble to the eyes of most Ayashi. Why would she go for a _human_ like himself? Didn't she hate humans anyway? What Ayashi would go for a human anyway?

Shaking his head away from that, he turned to the pink haired girl next to him and smiled, though the smile never reached his eyes. "Well, since it's your first time going to a festival, we should enjoy it to the fullest, right?"

"Y-yeah! Let's go!"

The two walked back down, hand in hand for that was all Tsukune would allow himself to do, the closest he could be with her, or any of his friends.

Time flew as the pair walked around, visiting stalls and playing games. Moka's laugh healed unseen scars on Tsukune's heart, as he saw her happiness and carefree enjoyment. Her face when he won a small bat plushy would be engraved into his memory for all of time.

He was so happy that even his parching thirst was forgotten amidst the laughter and joy.

A voice, a familiar voice came from behind them as they walked and caused the pair to stop. "Tsukune... come here please?" Mizore's monotone voice demanded Tsukune's attention and he and Moka turned to their friend.

"Mizore-chan! How are you? No duties today?"

The girl shook her head negative. "No, I've got tomorrow. But... today... I want to introduce you to my mother... she came all the way here from our village to see you... and, well... I... kind of told her you are my boyfriend..."

That threw Tsukune for a loop. And a lot of blushing of course. "W-w-what? Boyfriend? Mizore-chan, I'm not-"

The yuki-onna nodded, but her eyes were soft as always. "I know. But can you pretend, just for tonight? My mom is... well..."

Tsukune nodded and was about to speak when he noticed someone looking at him from behind a corner. The fact that 'that someone' also was a woman with a lolipop in her mouth and hair the exact same color as Mizore gave her identity away. "Let me guess, she is a _lot_ like you Mizore-chan?" When the girl nodded, he shrugged. "Well, she can't be that bad anyway if she's even a bit as kind as you. Let's go meet her, I bet trying to spy on us from there must be uncomfortable..."

Mizore had a hard time suppressing her blush at Tsukune's words, but the look on Moka's face was definitely worth it. She raised her hand, calling her mother from her hiding place and going for the cafeteria. They easily got a table, Tsukune's committee member tag was very helpful in that regard; everyone assumed that the woman he escorted was some important VIP. Out of respect for the pair, Moka hung back a bit, content to watch Tsukune try to worm his way out of it.

After some basic and quick introductions, Mizore's mother, properly introduced as Shirayuki Tsurara, asked the question she really wanted to ask. "So, when are you planning to marry my Mizore?"

Out of the loop and into a bout of uncomfortable coughing. "W-w-well!" Come more coughing was deemed necessary for breathing capability. "we haven't really thought about it actua-"

He was cut off when Tsurara's tea errupted in an assortment of sharp and dangerous-looking icicles.

At that moment, instead of freaking out or seeking cover like Mizore did, Tsukune showed his heart. In an instant he was in front of Mizore, his body acting as a shield, a snarl in his face while his eyes had changed, turning from a warm brown to an evil orange-red like a smouldering fire.

Tsurara's eyes widened at the reaction before she allowed herself a smile. She had used her abilities to attempt to terrify him and scout his emotions about her daughter, maybe even press him into doing the deed if she were lucky enough.

She wasn't; she was _even_ luckier. His first instinct hadn't been to defend himself, even though her blades came far closer to him than her daughter, but to protect his 'girlfriend'. While she knew that Mizore had lied, after all no one should _ever_ underestimate a mother's intuition about her child, she was also extremely happy; the yuki-onna that had a husband that cared were the rarest and yet happiest of them all. Even if he wasn't her boyfriend yet, she was betting that by the time they graduated, it would be _very_ different.

"Shirayuki-san..." Tsukune's voice was as cold as the glaciers the woman could manipulate. "if you do such a thing again, I may not be able to stop my instinctive reaction and instead react violently. Anyone in this school will tell you that I do _not_ take kindly to hostile actions towards my friends."

Tsurara giggled demurely, a hand in front of her. In that moment she looked the personification of innocence. Well, except the ice blades that were _still_ standing out of her teacup. "Do not worry Aono-kun, it was merely a test. I would never attack my daughter, or the one who holds her heart."

Tsukune nodded grimly and sat back down, but it was easy to see his body language, indicating his over-protective nature towards Mizore.

"Well!" Said Tsurara suddenly, breaking the awkward moment. "I quite approve of young Tsukune-kun, Mizore. I would really like to see him for dinner as well, discuss your relationship with him. What do you say Tsukune-kun?"

The boy in question thought about it for a bit. "I would be honored to Tsurara-san, however, I also have a previous appointment with my friend Moka here. It would be most rude to break my promise to her, wouldn't it? So, if you do not mind, I _could_ see you tomorrow after my duties are over of course. I'm sure the Headmaster would be able to provide for lodging, we have enough room to spare." He was the one to arrange for housing after all.

The snow woman nodded and got up, taking her daughter's hand and leading her away. She had found what she was looking for. Her daughter was both lucky and unlucky; she had found a good, strong and devoted man, but at the same time he was also in love with another, though she could see him being split. While open relationships, more often called by humans as 'harems', were not all that impossible in the monster world, in fact they were a given in certain cases such as a race going extinct, it was also very often misunderstood. The man would have to have a heart made of gold and large enough to make room for everyone in order to treat all his women equally. Not to mention he would need vast resources to take care of them.

Besides, what was the chances of him being the last of his race? That was the only acceptable case of multiple spouses being allowed and not looked down on.

Well, the law did always underestimate the feelings of younger people.

Tsukune walked along Moka, trying to put the event behind them. Or Tsukune in fact, because Moka was simply beyond happy that he had made sure to spend the night with her and only her. Even her sealed form was pleased at that, she could tell even if the Rosario remained silent.

She was about to talk to him, thank him for doing that for her, when another voice cut the air like a warcry.

"Tsukune!" And cue a male Aono getting glomped by an overly amorous succubus and promptly smothered to her chest. Then, she began her happy rambling. "I'm so happy I found you! I was looking everywhere for you, but you had just left and no one knew where you were!"

Moka tapped Kurumu on the shoulder slightly. "Kurumu-san... He's stopped moving..."

Indeed he had. Surprised as he had been, he had exhaled instead of inhaled and as a result was trapped under Kurumu's grasp without any air. He had struggled for a bit, but the excited succubus hadn't cared all that much about it and so he had resigned himself to his fate; Death By Hugging.

It was a good way to die.

Regardless, he was released and, once able to, gasped in large quantities of air, filling up his strained lungs. "K-" A cough caught up with him. "Kurumu-chan!"

The succubus twirled around happily, almost giddily. "Tsukune, I would like to introduce you to someone!" She then used both arms to draw attention to the side and an absolutely _stunning_ woman. The woman's violet hair and aura of sexuality gave her away. "Meet my Mom!"

The woman was positively blinding in terms of beauty. Everything on her pointed to unbridled sexuality and it was through an immense force of will that Tsukune didn't drool or get a nosebleed.

"Oh, so _you_ are Aono Tsukune-kun? My daughter speaks all the time about you!" The woman's voice was alluring, just like the rest of her. "I am Kurono Ageha, _so_ pleased to meet the fiance of my daughter!"

Moka's world broke apart at that. "F-F-Fiance?" How could she do that to them? Claim Tsukune as her fiance.

Unfortunately, her exclamation drew Ageha's attention. The succubus looked up and down the vampiress' body and smiled towards her daughter. "And this must be one of your back-up lovers right Mumu-chan?"

The image _that_ sentence evoked was downright devastating to the young Aono. For once, even his Inner Demon shut up at that mental image.

It was with little surprise that Tsukune was blasted off his feet with a nosebleed to end all nosebleeds.

Apparently, the Headmaster had failed to mention something simple; the forceful transformations and youki injections in Tsukune's body had caused certain parts of it to work overtime in order to keep up. One of them was his hormone system, a necessity since his combat form caused high quantities of adrenaline to course through his body. So, while it was a good thing and actually alowed him to function better, it also had an unfortunate side effect in him experiencing puberty a bit earlier and in much greater force.

Ageha however was unconcerned by such things and grabbed the poor boy and pushed him in a headlock right onto one of her bountiful breasts. "You know, my Mumu-chan is _very_ innocent, more than you give her credit for..." At that Tsukune had to admit; despite all the sexual innuendo and various teasing actions the succubus used, he had caught her blushing at the smallest thing at times. Apparently she was just better at hiding things. "So... I give you permission to take her forcefully!"

What was supposed to be a playful advice, became nothing but when Tsukune's eyes became frigid and harsh. He shook himself out of the shocked woman's grip and looked at her with unreadable emotions in his eyes. "Ageha-san, I would never use force in anything concerning Kurumu-chan except at her complete cooperation. _If_ and I stress _if_ something were to happen between me and your daughter, I would not use force, especially for an act such as the one you speak of. Please do not say something like that again."

Ageha partially worried if he was gay, considering she all but gave him free reign over her daughter, but she dismissed that idea quickly having seen his reacion to the 'back-up lovers' part. Which meant there was something else at work. But surely, no man would ever be able to resist her daughter's charms, magical or no, right?

She filed away the incident and proceeded to ask his attendance that evening, despite her being surprised at his refusal; apparently he was an upstanding man to deny her presence for a friend. That or he was gay. But Kurumu knew better than declare a homosexual as her Destined One right? Bisexuals were fine, but homosexual men were practically impossible to attract, as a succubus at least. Incubi were another story altogether.

As Ageha was led around by an excited Kurumu, she felt a bit of ice creep up her feet and looking down, she saw a small patch of melted ice in the shape of an arrow. Knowing what that meant, and who had made it, she told her daughter to wait there a bit and walked towards the direction the arrow pointed.

There, she found her old... friend... Tsurara. "Tsurara... I see you are here as well..."

"Yes. It is almost nostalgic. It is exactly like what happened with us..."

Ageha's eyes widened. "You mean your daughter? And Kurumu? And Tsukune? Oh dear..."

"But more than that... didn't he react a bit strange when you told him about your daughter?"

"Oh-ho? So you were there? I thought I felt your frigid ass somewhere near... But yes, you're right he _did_ have a strange reaction. Why so interested?"

"Hmph, cool down you milk cow. I am worried about my daughter. Regardless of their rivalry, I would not entrust my daughter to anyone but the perfect man. On the outside he seems kind, caring and nice, but there is something that troubles me... and no it's not my age. Or did you forget, again, that we are of the same age?"

Ageha giggled at their old rivalry, though it had melted into a 'frenemy' sort of relationship. "No, I admit to the same. I'd be worried he was gay, but I have proof to the opposite, so no way. So, what did you suggest?"

"Well, it's simple. Interrogation!" Said Tsurara's rather cheerful voice; she couldn't help it, she always wanted to do that!

Ageha thought about it. "Alright. Knowing you, you've already arranged a dinner and if I were to guess it's tomorrow right? So, truce for now and share the clues? For the sake of our daughters, we'll cooperate."

The yuki-onna nodded and their plan was set. Unbeknownst to the two, their daughters were spending the same time planning the same thing, how to solve Tsukune's hesitancy at whatever had to do with relationships.

The day passed slowly, but peacefully to the group. Moka stayed with Tsukune and was later joined by Mizore and Kurumu, much to her chagrin.

Even Yukari dropped by to introduce her parents, a kindly nice couple that spoke very little, in direct opposition to Yukari.

When the night fell, Tsukune and Moka vanished from Youkai Gakuen, fell under the radar. In fact, they were up high, perched on top of the tower. There with a bit of candy, Tsukune and Moka awaited the fireworks show that was about to begin. The two laughed together and Tsukune would never forget the moment Moka placed her head on his shoulder.

After it was over, they were of course joined by their friends, Mizore, Kurumu and Yukari and the group enjoyed their time together. Three mothers and a father watched over their children and more than once wondered exactly what kind of relation their children had.

That did not of course stop them from gathering as much teasing material as they could or teasing each other. That would be just wrong now, wouldn't it?

In another dimension, a black-haired vampiress sat, long and slender legs crossed, waiting for an associate of hers to speak to her. It had been several days since he asked permission to speak to her and had not reconsidered it at all. She decided to amuse him.

When the door opened, her smile was cold and calculating. "Welcome Kiria-kun. I hope your journey went well. Now, is there something you want to talk to me about?"

Said boy kneeled before her in a submissive posture, but his voice beheld anything but. "Yes, Akuha-sama. As you very well know, I was stationed as a member of Anti-thesis in Youkai Gakuen... As you also know, I failed in my task. But I come here to tell you of what happened and of the enemy called Aono Tsukune."

"Hm? You mean the Akuchi?" She almost giggled at the way his face showed his surprise, but when he did nothing beyond that, she knew he was serious.

"Yes, Akuha-sama. Here, take a look at this please." He took out a long syringe filled with a glowing silvery liquid. "This concoction was used to deny him his demonic form for a short while, I made it for Hokuto. However, even with it, he was defeated. Why, even though Hokuto was quite powerful himself? Because a student named Akashiya Moka... gave the Aono bastard her _blood_!"

"Ooh?" She exclaimed lowly. She had not been expecting that. "My foolish sister did such a stupid thing?"

"Yes. Also, Aono Tsukune was a human before his Aku no Chi awakened and had already been imbued with her blood _numerous_ times. Enough times to actually become a Ghoul." While not entirely true, there was the fact that no one could confirm or deny it. Not to mention that making a Ghoul was forbidden with the heaviest of laws.

Akuha giggled darkly, finally something to use against her despicable sister, something to discredit and destroy her! Show her her place! "And what do you suppose your reward to be?"

"Nothing but one thing Akuha-sama... Aono Tsukune's life! I want to kill him with my own hands! Tear his still-beating heart from him! Show him unbearable pain and suffering!"

Akuha shook her head. "That is impossible, _killing_ him I mean. I have... plans for the little Akuchi, how to make him one of us. But... as for tearing his heart out... well, _that_ I can do something about... From what I hear he is quite attached to his friends. Friends that I do not need. Killing _them_ while he watches... that is fine."

Yoshii Kiria's face twisted into a sick and evil smile as he bowed and left. "You will feel my pain Aono... for taking away my Hokuto... I will make you feel the greatest pain possible!"

His insane laughter reverbrated through the cold, marble corridor of the castle he had gone. Dark bat-like forms danced at his exclamation and a blood-red moon shone.

**A/N: Hello, hello my dear readers! Free of several annoyances, I can now write again, oh the joy!**

**The yuki-onna beating a vampire part was a plug aimed at MistressWinowyll's Take What Is Yours, regarding a scene I wrote for her. It is in no way mocking, well maybe towards myself a bit; I am a fan of self-sarcastic comments, so please allow that little insanity of mine.**

**Regardless, I hope you enjoyed the chapters and solved a few of the questions from previous chapters as well as cooled down from all the constant drama. A bit of relaxation is necessary after all. The next chapter will hopefully be published soon and with it, Ageha and Tsurara's confrontation of Tsukune, which will reveal the reason of his aversion to relationships. That is if you haven't figured it out already.**

**At any rate, I know this chapter isn't the best I've written, which is why I'd like everyone to review as harshly as possible, maybe I can fix it.  
**

* * *

**Today, on this 9/6/2012, I, Soulblazer87, do hereby leave this site, possibly forever.**

**I shall not update this, or any other story.**

**I shall leave them on, however. Should you desire to follow my stories, do so in my new site of residence: www dot yourfanfiction dot com.**


	8. Troubled Festivities

_Troubled Festivities_

The second day of the festival began much like the previous one, but Tsukune would be the first to say he had not slept well. It was what happened that night as he made a few patrols around the closed festival grounds, trying to settle his paranoia. He had heard a cry from atop the roof and he had gone to investigate, seeing as even the banshees were asleep by that time.

Instead what he found was a rape attempt. Someone, by the looks of it an old student, had cornered a girl onto the railing and was trying to force himself on her. She was one of his classmates, a rather weak type of youkai but a nice person none-the-less. He had been the one to assign her the position to make an inventory of the first night as a form of 'behind the scenes' survey.

Instead, his choice had led to her getting molested. But Tsukune, at that moment, as he saw the girl's face, the terror and horror on her face... he didn't see her at all. In her place was another, several others.

Moka. Kurumu. Mizore. Yukari. Even Ruby and Nekonome.

The assailant didn't get a chance to cry out in pain when Tsukune fell upon him, his wrath breaking a link of his Divine Lock to grant him the power boost he needed.

_'She's just... just like _them_...'_He had thought, referring to his friends.

At that moment, without his knowledge, the Headmaster's plan had taken a big step forward. At that moment, Tsukune was able to sympathize and connect with a person not of his group. At that moment, Tsukune's eyes opened to a far larger group of people. Because, where before the people around him were a mere crowd, faceless, without identity, now they had a name and a face and an existence.

The oni, for that was the true form of the attacker, a large alcohol-binging combat type of ayashi, tried to fight the enraged Tsukune. But the boy had become a committee member for more than just a bait; he had the strength to back up his position. And that is what he did. The oni was delivered in the hospital a couple of hours later. Weird claw and bite marks were marked but the most apalling wound was the lack of genitals as if someone had bathed them in high-concentration magical acid.

The girl was also found in the psychologist's ward getting counceling on how to get over the experience. Neither she nor the injured oni would ever disclose Tsukune's name, but the next time the girl saw him, she would blush and turn into a stuttering mess. Kurumu had been less than overjoyed about it.

But the morning was not the night and Tsukune could say that despite his other half's recent release, he had managed to sleep relatively calmy and without any mind-shearing torture. Of course, that did not make him happy when the first thing he heard in the morning was his demonic side's voice.

At least he and Moka saw each other in the morning rather than noon and, as was natural, their meeting was followed by their own morning routine; namely Moka biting on Tsukune's neck to get his blood. She had been two days without it after all.

It was then that Tsukune's greatest shock came. When she bit him, he felt... something... within him. He observed the sudden urge and recognized it, the constant thirst that had annoyed him for the past two days suddenly grew by leaps and bounds into an unbeareable need. Her scent in his nostrils was almost a drug and his motions were made as if in a trance, his arms wrapping around her. He was just ready to sink his teeth into her vulnerable neck when... Kurumu kicked Moka away and took her place.

The sudden shock of a body colliding with his own shook Tsukune out of his reverie and allowed him to think on what he had just experienced. "K-Kurumu-chan!" He gasped, for the first time thankful for her interruption.

He took the first chance he got to escape his friends and go to the Headmaster, but Ruby was quick to tell him that he was absent at that time, something to be expected considering all the high-profile guests.

Tsukune, having no alternative, went to where he always went when he wanted to think about things. Namely the roof, overlooking the festival at his feet and the scene of 'character'-istically dead nature ahead, an ocean as red as blood under the dark blue horizon. It was peaceful, at least for the most part.

A great antithesis to his troubled mind.

He had wanted blood. _Moka_'s blood.

Why? Why had he that thirst? He hadn't had it before. Was it because of his Lock's alterations? Had he broken off one link too much? Was his demon trying to affect him in some roundabout way?

Then he remembered his demon's words and, while he didn't trust it, he could believe it; _**"No, this is all **_**you**_** boy, this is **_**all you**_**. Remember that!"**_

That's what it had said. But could it be true? Was it him? Was it some part of him, some tainted, dark, vile part of _him_that caused him to thirst for his friend's blood?

What the _hell_ was he?

He wasn't a human, he wasn't an ayashi, hell he wasn't even a regular demonblooded and that spoke a lot about how messed up his situation was.

He groaned and sighed, repressing the urge to smash his face against the railing with all his might.

He recognized it as his sanity; that little part of him, the little voice in the back of his head that told him it was stupid.

Damn, he expected his sanity to at least have another suggestion instead of just cancelling his own.

Maybe he _should_ take that psychologist's offer after all...

Nah, he was fine, by his group's standards anyway.

Hearing Moka and Yukari coming up, he tore himself away from his philosophical search for his own sanity and turned to his friends smiling.

"Hello Moka-san, Yukari-chan! How are you? All alright?" Greeting his friends lifted Tsukune's spirits, seeing some of his precious friends always made him happy, even more so with the events going on.

As it turned out, Moka and Yukari had done their shifts at their homeroom's stall and were trying to enjoy the festival. Tsukune was only too happy to join them, he too had been swamped with work and needed some time off.

Wandering from item to item, from homeroom to homeroom, Tsukune and the others commented at how outlandish or weird some things were, for humans and ayashi both. At some point, their talks came to the matter of family.

It was a sore point for Tsukune, seeing as he didn't know how to breach things to his parents. Could he leave them in the dark about the ayashi world and his own changes? Should he tell them the truth and thrust them, them being weak humans, into the world of monsters where fighting and death were commonplace?

What was he to do? What was the best choice?

Hiding his troubled thoughts, Tsukune pushed the conversation to the girls next to him.

Yukari talking about her parents came almost right after, when they appeared suddenly, as if by magic. They probably _did_ appear by magic.

They seemed like a nice couple. Yukari's mother didn't talk much, if any at all, but the girl's father made the 'translation' of his wife's looks and body language.

Seeing as how it was Moka's turn, the girl sadly told them that no one from her family would come to the festival, they never did. She also told them how she had two older sisters and a younger one.

Unfortunately, that brought Tsukune's family to the forefront, though the girls were smart enough to do it away from people, where one might overhear.

"W-Well... I'm an only child really... but I do have a cousin, she's more like a sister to me though..."

"What? A cousin that's like a sister?" Both girls answered in a very surprised tone that had the boy wondering what was up with that.

"Well, yeah... She's two years older than me, but she lives really close by so we kind of grew up together. My 'sister' Kyouko is a very nice person... She's really headstrong though and that got me in trouble sometimes..."

His voice had taken a sad melancholic tone that somewhat worried the girls. Not for the reasons they feared however but instead because he didn't know how she would react if she heard of his... changes...

"Eeeh..." Drawled out Moka in a weird, way-too-interested way. "And how does this cousin of yours look?"

For the moment, Tsukune thought she was... jealous... But that can't be true right? "Well... I guess she's kinda cute, my classmates said so anyway... but's she's real tomboy-ish... Oh, look, that girl's haircut's exactly like K-"

And then he froze. The girl he had pointed at didn't have just similar hair, she also had a very similar face and dressed exactly the same as his cousin.

"Kyou-chan?" His voice betrayed his fear at seeing his cousin, and not just because of her reaction to him.

"Kyou-chan?" Whispered two girls beside him conspiratorily. Their fears were intensified when the girl looked at Tsukune.

"Tsukki?"

"Tsukki?" And then they were wondering exactly what kind of relationship their friend had with his cousin.

Unfortunately for Tsukune, he couldn't take cover behind somewhere or hide in time because he was spotted. His cousin ran at him and promptly glomped him, calling out his nickname.

"Tsukki! I missed you so much!" Tsukune could only try to free himself from his cousin's grip, but he was too afraid to put any _real_ strength in it and her grasp was almost suffocating. "You never called me and I was so scared and..."

And then it degenerated into mumblings and accusations about how insensitive he had been and how he should call more often and how he should come live at his parents' house so she can see him and...

Well, you get the point.

"K-Kyou-chan! What are you doing here?" The question was asked with more than one meanings, not to mention more than one emotions behind it.

Kyouko pouted at him. "What, can't I even visit my Tsukki?" Of course her definition of Tsukune being 'hers' was quite offending to the ears of Yukari and Moka. "You didn't call me at all, and you used to follow me around everywhere, taking baths with me..."

"Kyou-chan! Don't say such weird things! Besides that was _really_ long ago!" Tsukune tried to prevent the oncoming disaster, but he already knew that a lot of _damage_ had been done. Really, of all the people to hear about his cousin, did it have to be Moka? At least it wasn't Gin. The pervert would probably hit on his cousin. "Anyway! What are you doing here?" He didn't voice his true question however: _how_ had she gotten there?

Kyouko took a step back to look at her cousin. For some reason he felt... different... than before. Was it some bout of confidence? Was it the girls he was talking to before? Heck, he even seemed to work out if she was judging correctly. "You never called, never told me anything! It's natural that I would check up on you! And if this school has not been treating you right, then I have no choice but to take you home!"

"WHAT?" This time it wasn't just Tsukune's voice, but also Moka's and Yukari's.

"Well of course! I can't have my little cousin in a suspicious school! And this one seems suspicious enough already! Look at it!"

For a moment, the boy was afraid his sister had seen a monster or something.

"It's so lively!"

And cue a facefault. That was the last thing they expected the girl to define as suspicious.

"It's so lively and there's so many people! Definitely suspicious! And beyond that! Tsukune! _You're _suspicious too! No other explanation as to why such a beauty would be around _you_!"

_'What the hell's _that_ supposed to mean?'_ He wondered inside. Geeze, it was as if his cousin had absolutely no confidence in him. "K-Kyou-chan! Don't say such things! Besides, she's not just _a_ beauty! She's my friend, Akashiya Moka. And next to her is another friend, Sendo Yukari. You should call them by their names you know!"

The girl turned to the two girls and examined them closely. In the end she wasn't satisfied, not that it surprised Tsukune. "You're suspicious! Forget the pink hair, what are you some kind of goth-cutie-lolita combination! Too suspicious! And you! Are you into cosplay or something?" Then she turned to Tsukune to rant on about how suspicious the place was.

It was a good thing too; Tsukune never knew how much like her Inner Self his friend could look when angered, nor how _evilly_ Yukari's eyes seemed to glint. They were damn scary, that's what they were.

"A-Anyway, Kyou-chan! What are you doing here and how did you get here?" He had to know. He was pretty darn sure humans were prevented from coming over to the school, especially considering the Great Barrier, so how had she managed to? He doubted she found any fliers left by a mysterious robed man...

Tsukune decided to leave interrogating the Exorcist for another time. If his suspicions were correct, the robed riddle-maker had wanted a normal human to attend Youkai Gakuen, much like Hokuto had originally been. What had he been thinking, or rather what the hell had he been smocking? A human in Youkai Gakuen? How far into the future had he seen? If but to save himself a headache, Tsukune refocused on his cousin.

"Well, I tried to find the school by the adress on the flier uncle had, but it just led me to an empty lot. There was no one there! So suspicious... But then a woman came by and she showed me the bus and told me how to come over here. So, here I am! And I find this place too suspicious! It's been corrupting you! I _will_ find the truth behind this suspicious school and take you away from here!"

Try as he might, Tsukune couldn't shake his cousin's ideas or change her mind. He knew he couldn't but he did try and so had Moka and Yukari.

In the end, he was forced to give the woman a tour of the festival. He cringed at that. He would need to work overtime to divert her from some of the more... exotic... exhibitions. Karate club shows were one thing, but an alchemy convention or a banshee opera? He was sure the Headmaster was laughing somewhere.

It began out well enough though, guiding the girl to where he wanted was easy enough if he took into account the fact that he knew how she thought by now. Sometimes it was hard to predict her, but between the three of them, they managed it.

The first bump in their plan however came in the form of a near-flying succubus and her subsequent glomping of the sole male of the group. It became worse when she started ranting about the 'maid cafe' that her class was doing. It wasn't the 'maid cafe' part that drew Kyouko's attention, now that would have been _normal_ and she was all but. No, for once, she had to focus on the one pair of important words Kurumu spoke; 'human world'.

Thankfully, Yukari was quick on her wand and quickly summoned a basin to slam the poor succubus on the head and knock her out without too much fuss. Well, for Youkai's standards anyway.

Thanking all the deities watching over him for Yukari's and Moka's presence, he pulled his cousin away from the twitching form on the ground. He hoped that maybe his class' item, goldfish scooping of all things, would alay his cousin's suspicions.

Fat chance.

Why? Because the moment he entered, he was treated to the sight of Mizore in a yukata. Now, that wasn't much of a problem, despite him blushing a bit. No, it was the fact that Mizore, completely failing to read the situation turned to him, full of seriousness in her voice and caused him an unbelievable amount of trouble...

"Tsukune, if you're getting another girlfriend before you give me a child, I will freeze you to death." And of course she had to put her hand into the water and pull out a frozen goldfish. "Like this..."

Sometimes he hated it when his friends didn't pay attention to the going-ons.

Things got worse after that.

A girl asking him a favour because of his strong monster form.

A group of girls, if he remembered well these ones had been turned into Ishigami's statues at one point, thanking him for beating up the teacher.

Another trio that giggled and asked about what type of girl he liked.

Gin who... just spoke to him really.

Even Ruby who wanted to talk to him about the Headmaster.

Each and every one of them got a large basin in the head. Well, Ruby just got a small fan while Gin got a larger-than-life spiked ball.

In another realm, an orange-haired girl was wondering if vampires actually _do_ get sick; no other explanation for so much sneezing.

To avoid any more 'mysterious falling basins' questions, Tsukune pulled his dear, _dear_ cousin to the woods. Seriously, did _everyone_ have to speak about Ayashi stuff today?

While he kept his cousin busy, an angry Moka and an exhausted Yukari (she had knocked out no less than thirty school mates) were scolding their succubus and yuki-onna friends. Gin was weakly calling for help and something to stop the bleeding while Ruby had gotten herself tangled up in some ropes... again... Putting that behind them, especially and pointedly Gin, the group decided to do the least suspicious thing of all; spy on Tsukune.

"Alright! If that harpy wants to take my Destined One away, I'm going to charm her brains out!" Came Kurumu's declaration.

Naturally it was followed by Mizore's threat. "Not if I flash-freeze her first!" She had just began making some progress with Tsukune, she wasn't about to let someone, _any_one, take him away from her.

"C-calm down you two! We'll get found!" Cautioned Moka, but that did not mean she wasn't also thinking of several nasty things to do to Kyouko if she took Tsukune away. Fortunately she lacked her Inner Form's imagination and ruthlessness. It was still pretty damn scary however, all things considered.

Yukari preferred to stay silent and observe. Years of pranking had taught her how to best observe her 'mark' before making a prank of such indisputable quality none could object to her genius!

Scratch that; she was actually chuckling evilly.

The conversation in front of the eavesdropping girls wasn't going on nicely.

"I don't care about your excuses Tsukki! This place has a bad effect on you! Why do you want to stay here so much anyway? Don't tell me those bishoujou got you? You were so shy around girls and look at you now!"

"Kyou-chan, I _want_ to stay here, there's a lot of things going on and I'm actually having _fun_ for a change! I mean, what's wrong with me not being that shy around girls anyway? Didn't do me all that good before. At least now I can speak to people without turning to a stuttering mess!"

Even she had to agree that he had a point there. "Still! You don't call, you don't write, you don't tell us anything! And I come here to find you being around _this_ and _that_kind of girls!"

"What is that supposed to mean? Don't you get it Kyou-chan? I like it here. Matter of fact, I don't want to leave, ever! It's like another home. Sure, sometimes things get weird and more often than not we get into fights and stuff. But, even so, I'm having fun. I'm actually _making friends_ Kyou-chan. And _that_ I won't let _anyone_ take away from me! Not even you!"

"Tsukki!" She had definitely not expected that. Her gasp and step back put her surprise to plain sight. She would have replied, probably in some attempt to intimidate him to submission, but she didn't get the chance.

Tsukune put his hand on her shoulder and his visage was different from what she was used to, but not in a bad way. His eyes were confident, determined and his face was hard. "Kyouko... I will _not_ leave. As much as I miss you and mom and dad, I will _not_ leave. These are my friends, my _first_ friends and I will not leave them, for any reason. I know you don't trust me, but know what? I don't care. I just don't care about it. I _will_ stay here, _with_ my friends, regardless of how suspicious that may be to you."

"Tsukune..." She was only looking out for him after all, trying to protect her naive little cousin from the dangerous world around them. When had her little cousin grown up so much? When did he start acting like a... a man? Since when was Tsukune so manly? It seemed paradoxical; Tsukune was the definition of average. He was at the exact middle of everything. And yet, at that moment, before her stood a man that was not average in anything. In the end she sighed.

She had come to take back her meek little cousin. The man in front of her wasn't meek in the slightest. He was strong and confident. It was almost nostalgic in a sense; she had wished so often that he would grow up, but for him to so suddenly do it... It made her sad. "Alright Tsukune. I'll trust you. But you better call back, hear me mister! I won't have your mother breaking down my doors because she wants to know how you are!" She poked him repeatedly in the chest to make her point known. "Though I doubt she'd actually do something like that..." She all but whispered that part, but it caused Tsukune to laugh none the less. In the end, she looked back at the bushes that hid her cousin's female entourage. "And as for you! Get out of there! It's rude to eavesdrop!"

The girls cringed at being called out, but complied. Tsukune wasted no time to introduce Youkai's newest human to his friends, namely Kurumu and Mizore, since he had already introduced Moka and Yukari.

Of course, Kyouko still considered them 'suspicious', but at least she kept her mouth shut. They might seem suspicious, but they also seemed like nice enough people, even if they were weird. She just couldn't figure out what their relationship was. It was obvious that they cared for him as much as he did for them, just as it was obvious that at least Kurumu was very obviously interested in him, and if she were right then so was Moka and Mizore. But the problem was, why didn't Tsukune act on that? She saw how attractive they were, and how much he cared for them. With his new confidence, he should be able to at least get one girl, right? Besides that, how could all these girls get along so well? Did they have no feeling of jealousy amongst them? They did like the same boy after all. It made no sense!

Several minutes later, Tsukune once again brought up the ever-important question of how she had gotten there. After all, they had just picked up some food and gone out to one of the many dead tree clearings, away from prying ears.

"So, Kyou-chan, how _did_ you end up getting here? You never answered that question..."

Kyouko looked at Tsukune curiously; he had insisted a lot on that particular question. It was very suspicious! But, deciding to trust him, seeing as he had seemed so mature, she shrugged. "Well, I was looking around the empty plot that was supposed to be the school's adress when some weird woman came up to me. She said something about helping me get here and gave me this envelope." With that she showed them the item in question. It was just a classic large envelope, like those used to transfer documents. It had a large bulge however, so it was probably used to transfer something else. "She said that someone would ask me to give it to them, but no one has come yet. Anyway, a weird bus driver came and picked me up almost immidiately after. He had glowing eyes for crying out loud!"

Tsukune chuckled uneasily along the rest of his group. Their bus driver was definitely suspicious in more ways than one. However, the boy also wanted to find whomever it was that his sister was supposed to get that envelope to.

It may be his budding paranoia, but he wanted to investigate it. Maybe it was drugs or something illegal like that? There was mail from the monster world after all, just not from the human side. Asking for the folder, he shook it a bit. It was kind of heavy, like it had something of metal or similar material inside and it was round. So it wasn't drugs. Maybe some contraband item? Who knows.

"Well, we better get this to whoever it belongs to. Maybe they lost it or something..." Of course, he said that to calm Kyouko's suspicions, he was going to find who it was. After all monsters in the human world, talking to humans... it was forbidden for a reason. He was sure however that he wasn't as paranoid as his cousin. He was sure of it!

He didn't get the time to think about it much. A terrifying roar caught the attention of the entire group and a large amount of youki pushed down on the senses of those able to perceive it.

Which meant that Kyouko was left wondering why the heck her cousin and his friends suddenly looked so darn pale. It wasn't just the roar that scared them; their palor came several seconds after they had written it off.

She was quickly forced to abandon that thought when a large shadow fell over the group and, when their heads rose, they bore witness to a toad. A toad as large as a building that is.

There was only one reply to that; run like hell.

Tsukune grabbed his cousin and hoisted her up in his arms, much like a bride. His upgraded body perceived her as light as a feather and he was quick to speed off as fast as he could. Kurumu, Mizore, Yukari and Moka were very quick to follow him. They didn't voice however how annoyed they were that they had to run while his cousin could enjoy being in the arms.

The group ran away from the threat behind them. They knew only two of them could fight it off with any form of certainty about their victory; Moka and Tsukune. However, Moka would have to be unsealed from her rosario and Tsukune... Well, it wouldn't be a good thing to have a human witness an Akuchi's power, especially since Kyouko was his cousin; who could say how she would react. If she reacted badly then... the psycological pain on the poor boy would be unbelievable. Especially if she talked about what she saw. At best she would be placed in an asylum, at worst? If the wrong words got to the wrong people, a new 'dark age' would begin.

So, they ran, hoping that the monster was after someone else or something.

Fat chance.

It chased them down, to the exclusion of all else. In the end, Tsukune stopped and put his cousin down.

"Alright, everyone keep running! I'll take care of it!"

That sat well with none of the girls, especially Kyouko, the poor girl had no idea just how tough he _really_ was. "S-s-stop saying things like that Tsukki! T-t-that has to b-b-be a p-p-prop of some kind! We're in a movie school right? Right?" The poor girl was approaching hysteria in her fear. "Or! Or i-i-it's a prank! That's it right? You're playing a prank on me! Ha-ha, very funny now stop it!"

That was met with another earth-shaking roar and the human girl ran off screaming.

Tsukune looked at the girls around him. "Go, I'll do something about it. Just take care of my cousin. If she sees something she shouldn't..."

They understood. Unfortunately the girl had already disappeared so they had to split up to find her, leaving the sole male of the group to face off the monster.

Tsukune's eyes were burning with anger at the one who attacked his friends and the irises of his eyes changed to a fiery orange-red color. He saw his enemy approached and he began removing part of his clothes. His shirt was tossed to the side, followed by his shoes and trousers, revealing that underneath them he wore highly elastic cloth; he didn't want to appear completely naked before someone, so he had had to adapt. His form began to bulge and deform as his blood was ignited slowly, giving his enemy the time to realize who it was up against.

The gigantic demon toad landed in front of the boy and he crouched in return, his hands already claws and his balance causing him to lean forward.

Then a voice came from atop the frog and the startled boy could only blink at the figure on top the monster's head.

"Hey boy! No need to try and kill me! I'm only looking for a mirror, have you seen it?"

What in the nine circles of hell was the Bus Driver doing there?

Poor Kyouko was running around panicked and tired. Exhausted she stopped and tried to lean against a tree, get a breath before having to run away again.

"T-this... this is a movie school right? That's props and actors and they're playing a prank on me right? Y-yes, t-that must be it, right? A prank, this is all a prank. Or a bad dream. Or they put something in that juice they gave me, it didn't taste normal... oh god I've been drugged!"

Well, the juice wasn't of a _human_ fruit at least.

_"Don't stop running for this master! They are still after us!"_

Oh great, now she was hearing voice. It was kind of queaky and high-strung though. Like it came from a really small person -that or someone who had breathed too much helium or something. Also, it seemed to come from the envelope still somehow tucked in her arm.

"What the hell?"

The envelope, or what was inside it, seemed to vibrate a bit as the voice came again. _"No time now! You must run away master! They're coming for us!"_

It just had to be right too; the inhuman roar that had scared her before came again and this time it seemed to be moving... straight to her!

Knowing that something is the result of a _really_ bad trip is one thing. Not following what that trip tells you to do is a whole other business.

Kyouko screamed at the top of her lungs again and ran off, the envelope and whatever was inside it still in her arms.

Several minutes of frantic running later and the sole human girl in the entire campus found herself at the edges of civilization; namely the festival.

"Safe... I'm safe..." She breathed out relieved. Damn, she hadn't ran that much since school! It hadn't been that long, but still...

The weight on her hands told her to pay attention to whatever was held there.

"Well, no one has come to get it yet so... Might as well see _what_ it is I'm carrying..."

The paper was cut in short order and the packet opened to reveal... a mirror.

It looked like an antique, with beautiful golden embroidery and a perfect finish.

But it was a mirror.

Kyouko, with little patience in her at that time, began waving it around. "What the hell's with this thing? Where did the voice come from! What's with this school?"

"Hey!" The voice came again, this time louder and from Kyouko's hand. "Don't move me around so much! You need to treat me more gently master!"

"What the?"

The mirror began to glow and ripple as if it were water of some kind. The light blinded the human holder and from it seemed to rise... a small fairy-like being.

"Hello master! Finally I can see you! I am Lilith! The spirit of this mirror! Pleased to meet you!" Said the fairy.

"THE WHAT?" Was pretty much the only reply Kyouko could give. Not her fault; she was already terrified. "T-T-That's a... a lie right? T-T-This must be some sort animation or something, right? A holographic projection! Yes! That must be it! Eheh-ehehehe!" The laugh was awekward and forced, trying to 'define' a situation best left undefined.

"Hey! That's rude! I really am a spirit!" The fairy actually pouted as she floated around the girl's head. "Here, see?" And with that, she poked her 'master'.

As was expected, Kyouko freaked out, letting out a loud scream and dropping the mirror in her hand.

"Ah! Don't drop me like that master! I might break!" Spoke the spirit and dove after her mirror, lifting it up rather easily, despite the difference in size.

"T-t-there's _no_ way I'm going to believe you're a spirit! Spirits don't exist!"

"Now that's even _more_ rude! And I'm right in front of you, so how can I _not_ exist?" Now the pint-sized spirit was getting annoyed. It was frustrating to have a master that did not even believe in her! "Alright, how about this; I will make one wish of yours come true, as long as it's in my powers!"

Now, _that_ was something that Kyouko could use. Even if it wasn't real, just for the hope that it was, she'd take the chance. "Fine. I want you to show me the truth of Youkai Gakuen!"

The sprite saluted mockingly at her 'master'. "That's the easiest thing ever! Youkai Gakuen is a place for monsters and spirits, like me! But, you won't just believe me, will you? No, I have to show you. Watch this!" She chirped before zooming off, mirror in hand.

The little spirit came up in front of a wandering student and placed her mirror in front of him. "Excuse me, can you look over here for a bit? Thank you!"

And suddely, the boy had three eyes.

Chaos ensued after the boy realized he couldn't reapply his human transformation. Not that Kyouko saw it, she was huddled behind a wall, shaking.

"W-w-what the hell was t-that?" She cried out to no one in particular.

"I told you master!" Came the happy voice of the mirror spirit. "I'm making your wish come true. Didn't you ask me to? Show you the true face of Youkai Gakuen. So, trust me now?"

Despite all evidence to the contrary, Kyouko shook her head and stuck to her beliefs. "O-o-of course not! Whoever is playing this prank is good, but I'll find out the truth!" Well, she was good in denial at least. She quickly grabbed the flying mirror and took off in the search for more people, more truths to 'reveal'.

However, each and every one of them... were monsters. They were real monsters merely disguised as humans.

Unfortunately, the girl's actions had one nasty result; namely the mob that had somehow decided to chase her down, most of them wanting to eat her.

"This is not happening, this is not happening!"

Kyouko's screams reached the ears of the few people that were looking for her without harmful intent.

Too bad they also attracted the attention of every monster in the school.

While poor Kyouko ran, Lilith was laughing maniacally. "Yes! Run! Run! This is so much fun!"

"Alright, alright! I get it! Everyone here's a monster! Now please make them stop!" Kyouko's frightful squeal only made the monsters chase her harder and Lilith to sneer at her, suddenly going from happy and cheery to evil and sadistic.

"Stop them? Why would I stop them? What, did you think I would give you your wish out of the kindness of my heart? As if! All I want to do is _eat your soul!_!"

So shaken by that, the girl missed her step and tripped, falling down. Horrified, she realized she didn't have the time to get up, not with her ankle twisted like that. She screamed in fear and terror.

"Let her go desu~!" A little girl cried out and metal basins started falling out of the sky, smashing monsters on their heads. It also gave them a new target. Once Yukari realized that, she too joined Kyouko in her squealing.

"Oh no you don't!" Suddenly, Yukari was hoisted in the air, safe in the hands of a winged girl, while in her place landed another. That second one slammed her hands to the ground and caused sharp icicles to erupt, stopping the assault in its tracks. It wouldn't last for long, but it would do well to help her leave.

Kyouko stiffened when a hand grabbed her own and pulled her away. Quickly she recognized the pink hair, it was a dead give-away of the identity of the one holding her.

In her shock, the girl didn't even resist as Moka pulled her away from the monster mob, but when she said that they should be safe, Kyouko exploded.

"Leave me alone! Don't touch me! Y-you're all monsters aren't you? You want to eat me or something don't you~?" The poor girl was paralyzed in fear. "Tsukki... You're planning on eating Tsukki as well, don't you?"

That line caused Kurumu to snort. "Eat him? Nah, only Moka does _that_, every day too at that."

"Kurumu-chan!" Cried out said vampiress. "That's not a nice thing to say! Besides, it's not my fault! It's just that Tsukune has such tasty blood that... that..." And then she started blushing as her mind began conjuring up several types of images she wasn't ready to admit to. She couldn't help it; Tsukune's new blood had a weird effect on her, not entirely unanticipated. His blood always tasted good, but now, with the added onset of puberty, their morning ritual had taken a whole other meaning, one she wasn't going to admit to anyone. Mostly out of fear of either migraines from her Inner self or a vicious beating from Kurumu and Mizore.

Speaking of the Yuki-onna, she came out from behind a tree, somehow managing to look without even a hair out of place despite having obviously run away from several monsters. "Cool it you two, this isn't the time for it. Besides, she looks freaked out enough. No need to know what you two are planning to do to my future husband." No one said that Mizore held anything back in her pursuits.

"You're all insane!" Cried out Kyouko, only to have the girls around her laugh merrily at it.

"Yeah, so we've been told." Said Kurumu. "But enough with this, we need to get you out of here. If anyone found out you're a human..."

"No! I'm not going anywhere! You're just going to eat me or kill me or something!"

"Of course not, why would we do that? Only a few types of monsters do that and we don't belong in them, well unless you take out Moka's obsession with Tsukune's blood..."

"But I can't help it! I'm a vampire after all..." Moka was off sulking to the side, with Yukari trying to console her.

"Vampire? Forget that, I don't want to know, Tsukki, where's Tsukki? I must take him out of here, he doesn't know you're all monsters, that must be it!"

A creepy, cheery voice answered Kyouko's claims, that of the mirror spirit Lilith. "Doesn't know? _Master_, he _is_ one of them after all! Why do you think he didn't want to leave?"

"You! You pint-sized pain in the ass! I'm going to get you!" Kyouko tried to make good on her threat, but the spirit was agile and could fly, making it an exercise in vain.

Lilith giggled mockingly as she dodged hand after hand, until two hands caught her and promptly froze her wings. "Well, so this is the one causing all that trouble. Tsukune will be happy I caught her, then we'll go make a baby-"

She was cut off by Yukari slamming a basin on her head and Kurumu tackling her to the ground for one of their patented mock fights. Thankfully, Moka had the presence of mind to grab the mirror spirit.

All that stopped when a familiar voice reached them. "Moka-san, everyone! Here you are!" It was Tsukune. "I've been looking everywhere for you! Kyou-chan, are you alright?"

Kyouko shook as she looked at Tsukune. She tried to find some hint of him being a monster and it came from his total lack of surprise at the true forms of a Yuki-onna and a Succubus being released. She flinched away. "Am I alright? Am I alright? HOW CAN I BE? I came here to see you and I was chased after monsters, am surrounded by monsters and they have tricked you! Can't you see? They're going to eat you! They're going to eat us! They're all monsters!"

Now it was Tsukune's turn to flinch, along with the girls around him. "Kyou-chan, it really isn't like that..."

"Like that? Like what? They're all monsters aren't they? They are going to kill you and eat you Tsukki!"

Lilith giggled from where she was trapped, between Moka's digits. "Hehe, master, I have one more thing to show you. There is a reason after all that he doesn't want to leave!" Kyouko turned to look at the fairy terrified at what that could mean. Lilith just confirmed her fears. "Yes, he too is a monster! The worst of them all! He is actually a demon!"

A flash of light came from the fallen mirror that had laid forgotten.

After it ended, true forms were released from all the monsters present. But what drew their attention wasn't that. It was the screams.

Inhuman screams of absolute torture as Tsukune had transformed into his battle form in an instant. However it wasn't like any other transformation; this was painful and had blood-red currents of lightning flashing all over his body as he held his head with inhuman hands and cried out in pain.

"Tsukune!" Three voices cried out in worry, seeing their friend in such pain.

But the fourth had a different expression in her face. It was horror. It was fear. It was mind-numbing shock.

Tsukune's jaws opened a bit and his youki pushed down on them ever harder. His snarl, furious and animalistic told them that he was losing the battle.

**"Run... Gragh... RUN!"**

He couldn't even say anything more to them as he felt his Inner Demon overpower him through the cancelled Lock in his hand.

The girls obeyed. Even Moka did, but not for the reasons the others did.

While Kurumu, Mizore, Kyouko and Yukari left out of fear, Moka left in a far different purpose.

Or, if she was really honest with herself, for multiple purposes.

Where the other girls ran away from Tsukune, Moka pursued another, the one who had started it all, Lilith. In the short moment after the flash and before Tsukune's screams pierced the air, she had seen the creature's face warp into something else. Something far different than what she was before. When Tsukune screamed, it just added another reason to chase the spirit.

After all, if she could control the artifact's power, she wouldn't need Tsukune to remove her rosario, right? A little voice in the back of her head also told her that she had another reason to do it, a more vengeful, harmful, reason, but she pushed it back down. Her goals were clear; catch Lilith and gain her power. What she would do with that power... she didn't waste time thinking about.

In her rush however, Moka didn't notice that someone else was following her just as she was following the spirit. Blue eyes narrowed behind a tree.

Elsewhere, Yukari was running away from the near-berserk Akuchi. She knew she couldn't fight him, she knew he could, and considering how he acted also would, kill her in a second if she stopped. But, she had something far above physical power, or even magical power. She had a brilliant mind and she was putting it to work.

Ideally, she'd want Ruby near her to help with the casting, but even alone she could do it. It would just take her time. She tured to Kurumu, who was holding her in the air as they fled. "Kurumu-san, I need you to distract Tsukune-san, but keep him near me! I should be able to re-inforce the seal and help him, but it's going to take time!"

Kurumu sighed. It beat running away for sure. Not to mention Tsukune could just abandon them and go hunt someone else-someone innocent or even his cousin.

She let Yukari go and turned around to fight. At least her illusions would help her.

She was in for a sore surprise.

Just as she prodded at Tsukune's mind to create an illusion of him being grabbed by roots... the link was destroyed.

It wasn't his youki that did it. It was the sheer _inhumanity_ of his mind, the alien mindset, the completely different way of thought. Her illusions just couldn't get a latch on him. It felt like tossing a glass of water in a raging inferno.

However, Yukari was behind her, already casting her spell and she couldn't, _wouldn't_, abandon her friend. Much less her Destined One.

Gathering all her youki, she closed her eyes before snapping them open and letting a veritable torrent of illusions batter Tsukune.

Individually, they were simple, one dimensional, like a sound or static image. However, they were just _so many_ of them that Tsukune's mind couldn't process them, or so she hoped.

Thankfully, her hope came true and the raging monster stopped in his tracks before flailing wildly around. Knowing she had found the gap in his mental armor, Kurumu pressed on and weaved illusion after illusion in a mutli-leveled weave of control, lies and deceit. Few things had tired her out as much, but seeing Tsukune pacified was enough for her.

Behind the succubus, Yukari finished her spell and unleashed it on her friend. Both girls could see the ethereal chains wrap around Tsukune and the tension in his muscles leave as he fell to the ground, his form slowly changing back to that of a human.

In another area of the school, Moka wasn't having as much luck. She had chased after Lilith, but the spirit was quick and flew away from her. Even her inborn youkai detector was pushed to keep a lock on the fleeing monster as she forced everyone in her path back to their true forms.

But, after a bit, Lilith had suddenly turned around and went for a roof, followed by Moka.

The vampiress wished she had thought about it more. Because there she came face-to-face with Ishigami, the arts teacher that had petrified half her class.

The worst part? The mirror's effects weren't permanent; they wore off over time and by the time she had caught up, it was only her personality that remained unsealed. Her power, her strength... that was gone and she hadn't even realized it.

And now she was forced to hear Ishigami's gloating about her victory. Annoying woman, she thought she had won just like that. Unfortunately, and here she was very angry at herself, it had seemed so.

Fate did not wish well upon the former teacher however. As soon as the woman let her guard down... a prison made of ice erupted around her, every bar of the cage wrapped by what seemed to thorny vines, making any attempt at breaking free painful. Mizore landed in front of the trapped Moka, a ninja-to made out of hard ice in her hand.

"You're so troublesome... If removing your rosario was that easy, we'd have known. Now look at you, you actually have to work for our victory." Mizore's crooked grin almost made Moka chuckle.

Sealed she might be, but she also was a warrior-queen, she wouldn't submit to anyone that easily! Well, that and the snow-woman was right; she would actually have to work for her victory.

Mizore and Moka took up their stances, ready for the inevitable escape of the disgraced teacher. When it came, they roared a battlecry and charged, knowing that they had to be quick in defeating her; Mizore herself couldn't take her on alone and Inner Moka could feel her Outer side awakening slowly.

In the back of her head however, Moka hadn't let go of the mirror yet; it also had one more use to her. She could use it for one more thing, this time not for herself, but for another. An absolution of sorts, an apology she still hadn't had the courage to make.

The Headmaster, flanked by Ruby, sighed as he watched the chaos ensue. Things were messed up in this festival. Behind him, several old students and VIPs were secured behind his barrier. They were all worried, but not for themselves, most, if not all, of them were worried about their children.

So absorbed he was that he didn't notice, or didn't show any outward sign of noticing, the three women and a man that exited his barrier. A succubus, a yuki-onna, a witch and a warlock. They were off to save their children, the Exorcist's commands be damned! They were in for a big surprise.

But the Headmaster wasn't the only one who was working for the protection of his Academy, so was the Student Police, including their leader, the now reformed Kuyou.

Said Kitsune was fighting his fellow students. Unlike before however, unlike before Tsukune that is, he wasn't going full-power on them. They were after all innocent, controlled by an outside force. To kill them for something not of their own fault was unacceptable. So, he was forced to hold back against numerous enemies who were under no such obligation. Good thing he was as strong as he was then.

Fire exploded outwards of him in a ring of flames so hot they could melt metal, but he knew he couldn't hold everyone back. There were ways past his fire wall and someone was bound to find them. Not to mention he was getting tired. Having to fight like that for nearly an hour was getting to even him.

An ayashi, a Tengu if he was correct, judging from its wings and extremely long nose, leapt over his fire and he cursed, making a fireball in his hand.

A soft, feminine whisper in the air though and mind-magic burst forward. _"Charm..."_

It was as light as the wind, but there none-the-less. To Kuyou's surprise, the Tengu flinched and turned back as if it got burned. But it was above his flames, so what...

When a succubus and an all-too-familiar boy landed in front of him he knew. The girl had weaved an illusion of his flames reaching higher than they actually did. Simple, but effective.

"Kuyou..." Tsukune's voice caught him. "Please take everyone behind you and go. I'll take care of it." He gestured to the frightened students behind the Kitsune, cowering for their lives. Amongst them... there was even a human, but no one could tell. She did though, she noticed something in Tsukune's body language and her eyes misted. "Kurumu-chan, you go with him, I know you are too tired. If... if you can, go look for Ruby-san or Moka-san."

The succubus wanted to disagree. She wanted to scream at him, bash her hands onto his chest... but she couldn't. He was right. She was dead tired, she had very little youki left after the assault she had sent to his mind. Sadly she nodded, but whispered something in his ear before stepping behind Kuyou. Three simple words of encouragement and hope: "Please be careful." She would have said another three, but she knew she couldn't, not at that moment. She promised she would tell him though, when she could stand at his side as his equal.

Tsukune's form began to bulge and disform and Kuyou realized that the clothes he had seen on the boy were an illusion as they disolved into nothingness. He didn't bother with it though; that was inconsequential. No, what he cared for was the fact that Tsukune grew...and grew... and grew... And he became ever more disfigured and monstrous.

He became ever more vile and malicious.

Because, in front of him, there was Tsukune no longer. It wasn't any form of Tsukune he had ever seen before, not the normal brown-eyed boy, not the red-eyed berserker, not the incessed flame-eyed man... No, this was far, _far_ worse.

Because this was controlled, this was intentional and this was truly, thoroughly vile. Despite himself, he shuddered at the feel of his youki. But, he wasn't the head of Student Police for nothing, so he composed himself and gave his men the order to get ready to evacuate the students away from the battlefield. He would... trust... Aono Tsukune.

When the wall of fire fell, Kuyou only paid enough attention to hear the screams of fury and pain before he focused solely on saving the few students that were uninvolved with this mess.

Which is why neither he nor Tsukune saw the horrified and awed faces of four parents who had come to rescue them.

"Akuchi..." Yukari's mother spoke for the first time that day and those around her only nodded dumbfounded.

What surprised them even more was how controlled the Akuchi seemed. Even though he fought wildly, he controlled himself and never went for killing blows, only hurting his fellow students enough to put them out of the fight.

It took him quite a bit before they realized they had to help him; as strong as an Akuchi was rumoured to be, there was a limit to what they could do.

Ageha took the lead by weaving illusion after illusion into the poor students' minds, subduing them quickly and painlessly. Tsurara kept up the pace by freezing monsters solid or conjuring snow to bury them in. When the Sendou couple joined in, it became a massacre; basins fell from outer space like comets, striking with pinpoint accuracy.

In the end, the berserk students were defeated with no one getting more than a concussion, or two. It would hurt, but it wouldn't kill them.

Tsukune turned to a rather group of parents, still in his transformed form and gave them a wolfish grin. **"Thank...hrr... you... Sorr-rr-rry..."** He growled out. He even took a couple of steps towards them when he suddenly went rigid and turned his massive head to the side.

Someone... Moka... was in danger. He could feel it, he could feel her pain, he could feel her life ebbing away. **"Moka!"**

Poweful muscles coiled and sprang, tossing him through the air like a catapult stone, heading in Moka's direction. He could feel her, in his transformed state. He had never noticed before, because she was either so close to him anyway or she was safe and calm. But, at that moment, he could _feel_ her. Like a voice in the back of his head, like goosebumps down his spine, like an unwitting clenching in his heart, he could feel her.

He would not let her down.

Soaring through the air, mid-leap, his sight fell on a roof where a hated and despised figure stood. In front of Ishigami's feet, Mizore glared at her, despite her lower body already being turned to stone, an expression mimicked in Moka, who had lost control of her right foot and left arm.

The demonic roar shook the self-important medusa from her speech, giving her just enough time to twist her body at just the right time to avoid having her intestines turned to mush from an unbelievably powerful backhanded strike. That did not prevent her from going through a wall. It also told her that the newcomer was much more powerful than she had anticipated.

Ishigami lashed out blindly when a hand touched her shoulder, but the one behind her avoided her with ease. "Relax Ishigami-san, I am here to offer you a deal... a deal that will get you Akashiya Moka in your hands for as long as you want her to be and any number of other models for your beautiful art..." It was soft, seductive and male. It sounded really good to Ishigami and she turned away from the vampiress, this time of her own will. She would be seeing the silver-haired model later and that time no one would prevent her from getting her statue perfected.

Tsukune had already kneeled next to Moka after sending the traitor flying. He looked at her and she looked back at him weekly. He made to remove her rosario, hoping her youki would break the petrification effect, but he didn't make it there. A lucky shot had struck his forearm and torn it open and he hadn't healed from that wound like he had from others, his healing factor running low. The scent reached Moka's nostrils and it had a very anticipated effect on the tired and famished vampire.

She bit his arm, seeking the arteries near the wrist.

Moka's eyes widened as she drunk his blood. She remembered its taste from her Outer's memories, but it didn't even _compare_ to the feeling of the warm liquid running down her throat like liquid fire. Her eyes were fluttering close as she focused on drinking Tsukune's blood. She didn't even noticed when his own closed as well, but in focus, as if he was controlling something.

Tsukune knew she would be thirsty, or hungry or whatever. Being near a vampire for so long had taught him something basic; the more youki inside the blood of a monster, the greater the reward reaped by the vampire. So, he focused his own youki into his blood, something that came to him ridiculously easy after he knew what he had to do, and then through the wound in his wrist. In his youki, a command; _heal_.

And so it was.

Moka's eyes snapped open and she would have moaned at the taste, was she not that busy drinking what she could only compare to liquid ambrosia. It wasn't mere blood any more. It was raw, unadulterated power that passed her lips and it brought with it a haze of _want_. It was with a supreme force of will she stopped drinking after she was sated instead of gorging on the offered blood.

She wanted to pant heavily, but she controlled herself, only letting a few out and disguising them as lack of oxygen. It was then she noticed that the petrification effect hadn't stopped, in fact it was gaining ground. Then, she noticed something different; she could still _feel_ Tsukune's blood inside her stomach. Most of it had been disgested already, a necessity for vampires to replenish their blood quickly, but a bit of it remained still inside. Even more importantly; it still burned with the same power it had when it first went down her throat.

Moka curiously poked and prodded at it, mentally at least. She felt its power as if caged within her, ready to be unleashed at a moment's notice. However, her 'queries' to the blood within her activated its power, releasing it into her blood stream.

The world shook for Akashiya Moka, coming in and out of focus. She could hear Mizore's skin petrify bit by bit, she could smell the scent of many monsters over Tsukune , she could feel the vibrations of the wind on her skin. And then _it_ came. A rush of bloodlust, hate, malice, fury. She could feel her instincts rising up, telling her to rip everything around her apart, tear them down with her own hands, destory, kill, maim.

She pushed them down easily enough, despite her tireness she was still strong. The rush of power lasted only for a few seconds, though she knew that if she wanted she could reduce its effects to drag it out more, but in these short seconds, she broke free of the medusa's poison, breaking the stony shell that had wrapped her limbs.

"Tsukune," She had to take a deep breath to control her voice and betray nothing of what she was feeling. "Tsukune, I need you to give Mizore your blood, now. Trust me, give her your blood, just like you did for me, with your power it-" She gasped as she felt the rosario's pull lull her to sleep. She tried to resist for a few seconds. "It is... strong... and..." Her consciousness fled and her form, now with pink hair, would have hit the floor, had Tsukune's large hands not caught her.

He didn't understand what she had said. He had seen her react differently when he infused his blood with youki, but he didn't know what that meant. Looking at Mizore however, who was now a statue from her chest and below, he knew he had to trust her. He had no choice on it anyway. So, he used a claw to slice open his forearm and offered it to Mizore.

The yuki-onna didn't know what to do either, but she was in a similar situation; she had no other available option and she could feel the venom gaining ground faster and faster. So, she decided to trust her friend/rival and drink the blood.

It didn't taste like human blood that was for sure. It tasted similar, very similar, but not the same. It had an underlying sweetness in it and behind it a font of power that she didn't need her supernatural senses to tell.

Like Moka, Mizore came to the same realization as the vampire and activated the offered blood, burning it in a sudden burst of fury-filled awareness, feeling her body become re-energized in seconds, stronger than ever before, strong enough to defeat the venom she had been injected with.

It was only when she relaxed in his arms that Tsukune allowed his transformation to fade away along with his consciousness.

In the mind of sealed vampiress, her true form looked outside through her sole window to the world; the gem of her rosario. Were one to pay attention to that eye-like gem, they would not see the anger, arrogance or pride that usually looked out. No, at that point they saw only pride, but pride for another. Because, even if she wouldn't admit to anyone, Akashiya Moka, both sides of her, were extremely proud of her friend Aono Tsukune.

She had felt the fury he had to shoulder every moment of his life, she had felt the malice within his blood, she had witnessed the demonic soul that now inhabited his body. And, though she wouldn't say it, she was so proud of him, for holding it back as he was.

**A/N: This one came out fast. Nineteen wordpad widescreen pages... seriously, I should stop doing that. Next chapter will be smaller and will cover the time skip. Just what I need to start setting up the changes to the world. Also, yes, Ishigami will return at a later date. She's one of the few monsters strong enough to at least do **_**something**_** against Tsukune's group, so I kept her. Besides, it wouldn't make sense if she stood and fought an Akuchi; she could have won if she was at full power, but after taking on Mizore and Moka she was anything but.**

**Fun fact: monsters call themselves ayashi, which is pronounced a-YA-shi. However, Kyouko all the time says 'suspicious', which in japanese is also translated as 'ayashi', but pronounced a-ya-SHI. Anyone else caught up to this inside joke? Anyone else caught up to the other jokes? And I'm not referring to the obsession Moka's family has with drinks. Also, the monster name 'ayashi' seems to come from the word 'ayakashi', which means monster, spirit etc.  
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**Today, on this 9/6/2012, I, Soulblazer87, do hereby leave this site, possibly forever.**

**I shall not update this, or any other story.**

**I shall leave them on, however. Should you desire to follow my stories, do so in my new site of residence: www dot yourfanfiction dot com.**


	9. Memories Of Fleeting Peace

_Memories Of Fleeting Peace_

Kyouko sat inside the room, hugging her knees. Unlike other monsters, she was singled out.

Expected; she _wasn't_ a monster, she was human.

So, she spent her time thinking about how many ways there were to kill her, eat her... or worse.

When the door opened, she had already resigned herself to her fate. Wanting to at least see the faces of her executioners, she looked up and saw... Moka, Mizore, Kurumu and Yukari.

Oh the irony of sending the four girls who liked Tsukune, or at least pretended very well that they did, to kill his cousin.

"Kyouko-san... I think it's time we had a talk about Tsukune-san." Spoke the candy-haired girl and Kyouko looked at her surprised, she had definitely not been expecting that.

"Talk? Talk about what? Talk about how you corrupted my cousin and turned him into a monster? Talk about how you're going to eat me? Talk about how Tsukki became that monstrocity? Talk about _what_ Moka-_san_?"

Noting Moka's courage all but destroyed, seeing as how the girl still considered herself responcible for Tsukune's awakening as an Akuchi, Kurumu stepped forward.

"How about we talk about how Tsukune is feeling after being rejected by his own family? How about we talk about how his own flesh and blood abandoned him at the first sign of problems? How about we talk about how you insulted us in front of him? How about we talk about how lucky you are to be alive? How about we talk about how _we_ are right now risking our lives to cover for you being human? Want to talk about _that _Kyouko-_san_?"

Well, the succubus may absolutely suck at school work, but damn if she can't turn a conversation around. It was with little wonder that Kyouko was struck speechless after that little tirade.

"The point is, Kyouko-san," Began Moka again. "That things are dangerous for you here, we need to get you out of here. Thankfully, the Headmaster will help us with that. But until then, you need to stay out of sight and out of mind. If anyone asks you, you need to say that you're the same ayashi as Tsukune. Otherwise... otherwise some students _really will_ eat you. And you have yet to apologize to Tsukune-san."

"What the hell are you talking about? What have you done to him?" Spoke a freaked out Kyouko.

Mizore's voice answered her from behind a flower pot. "Tsukune isn't human any more. Things have happened and he has changed. He still hates himself for it. You hurt him. If you do it again..." The voice trailed off, but there were several tell-tale sounds behind that pot and Kyouko gulped.

Moka and Kurumu sat down next to Kyouko, trying to console her. "Tsukune-san tried to protect me you know. When he was still only human, with a weak and fragile body, he tried to protect me and everyone here. Me... a great Super Vampire, more powerful than even other vampires... He was too weak... I..."

"Moka broke some of the cardinal rules." Interrupted Kurumu. "Rules that would get her executed without a trial if things became known. She gave him her vampire blood, her youki. She... Moka turned him into a vampire for a little bit to fight or protect himself..."

"But it wasn't safe..." Lamented Moka, still feeling bad about the way Tsukune had turned. "It hurt him, it broke down his own body and... and... I... I still did stupid things and got him into trouble... but... Tsukune-san..."

"Tsukune wasn't completely human, his family had run-ins with other monsters, more than a few _thousand_ years ago. He didn't have _any_ monster abilities. But Moka's blood... it re-vitalized his bloodline. It strengthened his monster blood enough to destroy his humanity and..."

"Tsukune-san became what is known as an 'Akuchi'~desu." Spoke Yukari. "If monsters are real, then so are demons, but we don't like them. Demons were banished and sealed away with an unbreakable seal a _long_ time ago~desu. Tsukune-san's power is to borrow their powers and take their forms to fight. But... it's not that easy to control and has even worse side-effects..."

"Tsukune has a second personality inside him, an inner demon that tries to corrupt him. He's changed so much because he has had to fight every moment of his life, waking or not, against an inner demon that wants to corrupt him and change him. And you just made it harder for him by rejecting him!" Kurumu's condemnation struck harshly on Kyouko's ears.

"That... That's impossible! Demons and monsters and... and... and how do I know you're telling the truth?I don't know if I can trust even Tsukki like this! What if the inner demon thing has really corrupted him huh?"

"Well, you certainly didn't help things." Shot Kurumu at her. "But I don't know how we can convince you if you really don't want to believe us... If you think about it though, it does make sense, as well as why he hasn't told you everything. If his 'cousin that is like a sister' thinks like that of him, how would someone else react, huh?"

**"Perhaps, I would be able to assuage Kyouko-san's fears..."** A creepy as hell voice came from the door and even Mizore looked surprised; no one had sensed him. **"Greetings child, I am the Headmaster of this Youkai Gakuen, a name more literal than you presumed..."**

In another room, Tsukune was on the bed, the lights off, his forearm over his eyes. How could things have gone so wrong? How could have let his cousin see _that_ side of him. Now she hated him.

Now, he could never go back.

It was something he had known for some time now; he could not go back to his human family, his human friends, his human life.

He had known, but he hadn't _realized_ it. He hadn't accepted it, always having that sliver of hope and fear that he would be able to go back to being 'normal'.

Normal for what? A human? A Ghoul? An Akuchi? What was normal? What was his home? Where did he belong? Where should he go?

In that small, dreary, _lonely_ room, Tsukune wept and mourned for what had happened to him, for what he had become.

He was glad in a way that no one was here. He didn't want anyone seeing him like that, especially _them_, his friends, all of the female persuasion to the chagrin of his growing hormones.

A knock on the door. Tsukune wiped his hand over his face, hoping to hide away the evidence of his weakness, ignoring his Inner Demon's mocking comments about his weakness being more than just momentary.

"Tsukune-san..." A familiar voice, Ruby, the witch at the side of the Headmaster. "May I come in? I would like to speak with you..."

"S-Sure, come in... just keep the lights off, I kind of have a headache." His voice didn't come out exactly right, but he hoped that she didn't catch on to that.

Tsukune and the others had yet to realized just how attentive to details their friend was. It was a necessity for magic and a very helpful thing to have even outside that realm.

"Tsukune-san... we need to have a talk. I... I think I know some of the things you feel and I want to help you, like you helped me back at the Witch's Knoll..."

"Back when I was human, you mean." He replied bitterly.

"And you are not one now? Apart from a few new abilities and changes, you are still human."

"Still human? How can I be still human? Look at me! I can change into a freaking 8feet tall monstrocity, I have a demon inside my head telling me to kill, _how_ am I still human? Even my cousin hates me now!"

"Because to me..." She said hesitantly. "To me, Tsukune-san is Tsukune-san. You may be scary when in your other form, but I know you want to protect us all, so I'm not afraid."

In that moment Tsukune had a moment of terrifyingly familiar deja-vu. That sentence she said; _"To me Tsukune-san is Tsukune-san._"

He had heard it before, no he had _said_ it before, he had _meant _and _felt_ its importance before.

_"Because to me Moka-san is Moka-san."_

How long has it been since it was him saying these words? How could he have forgotten that?

Tsukune smiled at Ruby and, even though it didn't quite reach his eyes, she knew he was feeling better, if a bit.

"Thank you Ruby-san. You just reminded me of something I had almost forgotten. It's alright. Even though it hurts that I won't see my family or Kyou-chan again, I think I can go on. Thank you very, very much."

Ruby's eyes glinted mischievously and Tsukune had a sinking feeling he was about to get teased. "Well, if I may be allowed, Tsukune-san's other form is also very attractive in its own right, it's so... commanding and wild and dominating... I do not hide that I have often thought of how it would feel to draw its attention, if but on a more pleasurable level! Especially the tail, even now I can imagine it..." It was about then that she noticed he had fainted, though she had managed to coax a dribble of blood from his nose.

Ruby giggled at his reaction, despite it all he had remained so similar to the carefree boy he once was.

The very next day, the school was deemed too damaged to continue the festivities, something to be expected of course after all the chaos.

Parents and other dignitaries left somewhat disgruntled, but they had been told how it was an event unconnected to the school. In fact, they were assured that the school was quite safe; any other place would have been destroyed by the attack. Not many believed it, but their hope in the school was rekindled slightly when they saw Tsukune greeting them, even though he had been hurt trying to protect everyone merely two days ago. It was as if he were a monster of healing abilities.

Tsukune himself didn't see Kyouko, and neither did the girl see him. The talk she had had convinced her to wait for him to come to the human world after a short time. He would be calmer then and they would be able to talk rather than loosing control of their emotions. It was the girls' idea in fact after they were told by the Headmaster that the school would close. So, the sole pure-blooded human of Youkai Gakuen was more or less escorted out under complete secrecy by the Bus Driver.

And now, there they stood, the extended Newspaper Club. All of them carrying large amounts of baggage, all except Tsukune.

"Yahoo! Tsukune!" Called out Kurumu as she saw her Destined One approach, quickly noticing he lacked bags and luggage of any kind on him. "Tsukune, why don't you have anything with you?"

The boy looked rather uncomfortable at that, but managed a quick excuse. "D-Don't worry Kurumu-chan! I'm still a member of the student council, so I have a few things to take care of before leaving. More importantly, are you all alright? It was a pretty sudden announcement about the closing of the school..."

Mizore crept up from behind a tree, freaking the hell out of him. "Not really, we learned about it yesterday. Why are you lying Tsukune?" Blunt as always.

"L-Lying? I'm not lying Mizore-chan! Really!" His stutter killed the conviction in his voice however. Thankfully, he was rescued from further prodding by the girls when two hands landed on his shoulders.

"Tsukune-san, I think we need to have a talk..." The combined voices of Kurono Ageha and Shirayuki Tsurara.

He was not rescued _at all!_

The two mothers dragged the boy to the side, away from his friends and pushed him on a wall. Tsukune began to get worried when he saw Tsurara's face become cold and harsh as if judging him.

"You will tell us everything! Spit it out! Who're you working for-"

She was interrupted by Ageha finger flicking her ear. "Sheesh, don't scare the kid so much you walking icicle. I always knew your spy fetish would rot your brain some time. But I agree with her, Tsukune-san. You_ will_ tell us everything..." And then she lost the serious look which was replaced by a more frantic, and dare he say it worried one. "Why aren't you going for my daughter? She's beautiful isn't she? She is, right, right? You're not gay or something, are you? I'd be fine if you're bisexual, but don't tell my that my daughter picked a gay for her Destined One!"

"W-W-Whaaaat?" Predictably, he exploded. "What are you talking about?"

"It's simple Tsukune-san..." This time it was Tsurara. "We know you care for our daughters, as well as that annoying pink-haired girl, we've seen how protective of them you are. And you must also know that they in turn like you." She waited for his nod before continuing, though her face had again become somewhat scary. "The why by Father Winter's beard aren't you already making babies with my daughter?"

"Excuse me?" Normally mothers discouraged their children from having children while in high school. Then again, normal for Youkai Gakuen wasn't anywhere _near_ normal for everywhere else.

"What she wants to say is... why don't you go for them? We know you like them, you know you like them, they like you back... so why aren't you pursuing any of them? It can't be that terrifying having one of our daughters, or even that pinky, as a girlfriend. Our races have always been renounced mistresses and..."

Her voice trailed off once she took notice of the frigid look on his face. "Me and them? Be together? Look at them." He pointed at the happily talking girls. "They are so happy, so carefree even now, not two days after someone almost killed them. Me? I'm a demon. I don't _deserve_ them, any of them much less all of them. They are so much better people than me that I would _never_ sully them with my impurity, just to satisfy some desires. I care for them, maybe even love them, I don't know. But as long as I am cursed with this power of mine, which is forever, I can't be with any of them. You have no idea what burden it is to be a..." He stopped wanting to preserve his secret.

"An Akuchi?" Finished Tsurara, smirking when she saw his scared face. "Yukari-chan's parents were with us remember. Who do you think taught her all that stuff? No, we know _what_ you are and we still wonder why you're not going for it, really. I mean, it only makes you a stronger monster than most others... Strong parents give strong children after all-"

"But I'm _not_ strong! I'm weak and pathetic! If I were strong, Moka would never have been injured! If I were strong, Kurumu would never have cried because of me! If I were strong, Mizore would never have been pushed almost to _suicide_ because I couldn't understand her! I'm not strong! I'm just one pathetic _human_ with a freaking demon lodged in my head! When _you_ have to spend every waking moment of your life with an Inner Voice doing a pretty damn good job of convincing you kill everyone you ever cared for, only _then_ can you tell me you understand _anything_ of being an Akuchi! Want to know why I can't be with them? Because I'm scared, alright? There you have it, Aono Tsukune, an Akuchi, is scared! They all deserve someone better than me, someone who can love them completely, not a _half-man_ like me. Now, if you'll excuse me." He walked away, rubbing away the tears that had gathered in his eyes, leaving behind two mothers re-evaluating everything they knew about the boy.

Ageha and Tsurara shared only one look before marching back to their daughters.

Within moments they were in front of them, looking straight into their eyes and spoke in a freakish unison, almost like they had practiced it; "Mizore-chan/Kurumu-chan... Don't you dare let him slip away from you!"

As one they turned on their heels and stormed off to get the Sendou couple updated about Tsukune's situation, leaving behind Kurumu and Mizore to wonder about what that was all about before shrugging it off.

Of course, both the witch and the warlock were as interested in Tsukune's unique psyche as they were in cataloguing and understanding his Akuchi power. Such lore was _very_ hard to get to and he defied all traditional stereotypes of being an Akuchi; that of an insane, blood-lusting, berserker. Well, Yukari had to get her curiocity from _somewhere_...

It took quite a bit for Tsukune to return to his friends, he had to hide all evidence of crying lest he worried them.

Though they didn't say it, it didn't work. They were neither stupid nor inattentive enough to miss the signs. They saw his fake smile and they hated it, hated how he didn't trust them with his problems to help him just as he helps them. They hated it, but each for their own reasons didn't talk about it.

Used as they had been to seeing each other every day, they could not believe that one of them could suddenly disappear from their lives. They could never believe it could happen. They were after all teenagers and in that age, two things are definite; puberty and the feeling of invincibility. Had they not triumphed against unbelievable odds like Hokuto, Ishigami and others? Their victories made them confident and more than a bit lax. But it also made them a tight-knit group of people and that would keep them together when all else failed.

The goodbyes were tearful, but they all promised to meet each other as soon as Youkai Gakuen opened again. It was the promise that kept more than one of them from going off to meet the others in their own homes.

Three days later, Kuyou was walking through the ruins of his school more than a little bit disgruntled.

How could it come to this? How _dare_ some disgraced fool attack _his_ school, _his_ dominion!

Inexcusable!

The Youko raged and his subordinates flinched away from him, knowing his wrath rather well.

Kuyou's day became all the more stranger when he spotted a familiar form sitting on a piece of cement. Why was that civilian, as strong as he might be he grudgingly admitted, over there? They had all been told to leave, right?

"Aono. Why are you here." A demand, not a question and both knew it.

"Because Kuyou... this is greater than either of us, or did you think that a single disgraced teacher that escaped the authorities could cause all that chaos by herself? Someone's targetting my friends and, human or not, I'm going to defend them, with my life."

"Human? Aono-san is a human?" Asked many of Kuyou's entourage and more than a couple of them attacked the boy.

Kuyou only smirked when Tsukune dodged them flawlessly before his right hand began to bulge and transform, becoming a large, clawed limb that smashed the offenders into a wall.

"_Was_ human. Apparently, the Headmaster has greater insight than anyone anticipated. Had I not come here, I would have remained only human. But I did and I became _this_. Kuyou, you know what I'm talking about right?"

"Of course, you want training, correct?"

"Yes and _you_ are one of the few I can go all-out against and not kill accidentaly. You _are_ a four-tailed Kitsune and that means your power is not to be underestimated."

"Hmm..." Kuyou hummed, thinking about it, ignoring the shocked looks of his subordinates. "Very well, I too wish to test myself against one like you. You are rumoured to rival a Vampire at full power, which may not be true but still speaks highly of your prowess. But, I want you to perform some things for me as well. You will help me train the new members. Your group taught me humility and to know my own limits. These here" He waved to the gawking students behind him. "obviously missed that lesson. So, your first job for today is to beat every one of them up, at the same time. You may start."

Annoyed at being dismissed like that, several of the student police members roared and attacked the human in front of them.

Like Kuyou had predicted, they had not learned humility or their own limits and had ignored their friends' failure.

A roar answered them as they charged and what met their charge was all _but_ human.

Kuyou smirked. Finally someone he could actually test himself against. Progress is impossible without a counter-acting force and so was surpassing his own limits.

Next time he and Akashiya Moka fought, it would be his victory, cleanly and without underhanded tricks.

In another dimension, a Succubus and a Yuki-onna were talking conspiratorily.

"So,what are we going to do? Moka is ridiculously strong and Tsukune get's stronger every time he fights. I feel like being left behind!" Said Kurumu, eating a homemade cookie.

"I know the feeling..." Said Mizore. "There's only one thing to do... train and become stronger..."

"But to do that, we need a teacher, can't practice all on our own..."

At that moment, their peaceful moment in the cafe was interrupted by a waitress screaming 'Pervert!' and promptly smashing her tray on someone's head.

"Ouch... Damn that girl's got a heck of an arm! She must like me!"

Hearing the man's voice, Kurumu's and Mizore's heads creaked to the side where Gin sat on the pavement, rubbing his head. "Gin... senpai?"

"Oh! My two cute subordinates! What are you doing here, decided to drop that idiot Tsukune and go for a real man like myself?" His greeting was followed by him draping his arms over the two girls and shamelessly looking down Kurumu's cleavage.

"Cool your head pervert, or I'll do it for you." Said an annoyed Mizore. He was touching her in a way she only wanted one male to touch her. She wasn't his damn plaything!

"More like had the misfortune of meeting you. What are _you_ doing here, coming to take photos of more panties? Like the whole school isn't enough for you!"

Gin shook his head and sat down on their table. "Nah, waiting for a friend of mine, Miyamoto Haji, leader of the Karate Club. He challenged me to a spar. Can't let his overblown ego and stupid woman ideals grow any bigger."

"You? Take on the _leader_ of the Karate Club? Miyamoto Haji, undefeated in over fifty matches in a row?" Asked a clearly disbelieving Kurumu. Who knew their pervert of a club leader was that good?

"Yah, why? Don't forget, it was only bad luck that I lost to Moka back then, not to mention I can't very well hit a girl full-power without serious reason, much less one as beautiful as her."

Mizore and Kurumu looked at each other and in an unwitting mimicry of what their mothers had done a few days ago turned to Gin. "Gin-senpai... we have a favour to ask of you..."

Poor Gin had _no_ idea what he was about to get into. The girl's desire to beat Moka was strong, now that they also had to compete for their loved one's feelings...

Even the letch and ever-perving Morioka Gin'ei knew better than to peep on them when 'that time' came along. He valued his manhood very much, thank you.

In yet another dimension, things were going far simpler for one Akashiya Moka.

Simpler of course did not make them any less annoying. Why? Because she had to endure her Inner Self's ranting and descriptions of Tsukune's youki-infused blood.

It was making her hungry dammit! And she had no blood to suck!

Moka's head met the table with a groan. "Ura-chan... please..."

_"Please what? I want to suck his blood too. You should have felt the taste, the texture, the feel of it, going down my throat, warm and hot and full of power! Indescribable!"_

"You're describing it pretty accurately though Ura-chan..." The pinkette's whining continued.

_"Not _my_ fault I haven't sucked _any_ of his blood ever before! You've been hogging him all to yourself! I have needs too, but never get to fulfill them! When we get back, you're going to have him remove the Rosario. I want a day off, or on at any rate. I want a day to myself. Maybe I could train him. Yes, that could work, considering he has been showing hints of Vampire abilities. He may even be a Ghoul, were it not for his Divine Lock. Alright, it's decided! Once we get back and with some free time, I'm spending a day free of this!"_

"Ura-chan..." The girl tried to reason with herself. "I don't mind if you're out for a day but... please.. I beg you... STOP TELLING ME ABOUT TSUKUNE-SAN'S BLOOD!" Mount Moka had erupted. "I'm thirsty too now!"

Her head met the table again and she only whispered. "Tsukune-san... I want to suck your blood..."

_"You're not the only one! So do I! Especially his tingling, youki-infused blood, so warm and flush with life!"_

And the discussion between two obsessed, thirsty and more than a bit irritated vampires went on. Pity the poor mail man who went to deliver her a pack of blood bags from the blood bank.

She almost tore him apart to get to them!

Too bad she had already gotten used to rate-A++ blood, which meant that the blood bank did very little to satisfy her newly-refined palette.

Three months down the line, Tsukune stood against Kuyou, both ready to fight.

"Alright, get ready. Remember this time we're training your human abilities. Going into your demonic form is forbidden, if you do you fail. From what we have been observing, the stronger _you_ are, the stronger your transformation. So, get ready!" Fire blossomed over Kuyou's palm and Tsukune gulped uneasily. He had come to learn to read the Youko in the past few months very well. That smartass grin told him he was in for quite some pain.

When the lash of fire came, he leaned backwards to avoid it, his bare chest reddening under the heat of the flame, causing perspiration to gather.

The onlooking Police members, all of them curiously female, drooled and cheered.

In the throes of their puberty-driven hormones, they had several ideas of what a man as... flexible... as Tsukune could do in non-combat situations.

The poor boy had to run away from them every day. Fangirls were _scary_. Imagine fangirls with enough power to subdue almost any monster without even getting serious.

Tsukune would never know that it was Kuyou himself who gave away his position every time he hid. To others he called it 'reaction and speed training'. To himself, he admitted it was 'payback'.

While their beloved was desperately dodging lances of fire, Kurumu and Mizore did not stand idle either.

Training with Gin destroyed any preconception they had had about the werewolf.

He didn't hold back except when they were almost dead, tired or not.

He didn't hesitate to point out their flaws and smash the ever-important lesson of humility into them, literally.

Unfortunately, he also didn't stop being a letch and coping feels or taking pictures of them at every opportunity. It certainly provided them with ample incentive to chase him, even as tired as they might otherwise be.

Moka's life was almost normal. If you consider 'normal' having a very talkative voice in your head at the throes of withdrawal.

Poor Moka had her own thirst and addiction to Tsukune's blood to deal with. She didn't need her other side on top of that!

Unfortunately, Tsukune's kindness had had a very weird effect on the girl, both sides of her.

Witnessing his sacrifices, his will to go ever on to protect them. Knowing he thought neither of them better than the other. Seeing his strength growing every moment.

Being in puberty _sucked_ for Moka. Now, instead of getting relatively harmless and tame dreams about her and an unrecognized other doing 'couple' things, like holding hands or taking picnics...

Now she dreamed of doing _other_ things with a very recognizable male, Tsukune.

The problem? Neither she nor her Inner Self could admit to liking him, one out of embarassment, the other out of pride.

Their bodies however had no such reservations and neither did their raging imaginations. Waking up every morning went from a glorious escape from her progressively more dangerous dreams to a chore.

More than one alarm clocks could attest to just how irritated Moka got at their sound on Sundays. They will always be remembered; they were good clocks, meeting an unfortunate end.

And so the months went by until the notice they had all been expecting reached the mailbox of four-or five really- girls.

Nothing however reached a fifth girl that had spent the past six months waiting and dreading for that call from her aunt that Tsukune had come back.

She was only human though and no monster ever came to her door, no one from _that_ school came after her.

Kyouko often spent her days on her bed, hugging her pillow, waiting for that damned phone to ring, anything to happen.

She was glad, in a way, that her parents were mostly gone from the house. She didn't want to explain to them why she had tear marks on her cheeks or why her she was having such nasty nightmares.

In that loneliness, that separation from the one person she wanted to see, to apologize to, Kyouko came to a sickening realization; Tsukune had probably felt _exactly_ like she was.

Rejected, cut off, cast away, ostracized. Just as she had left him behind.

Having had enough, she took up pen and paper and got to writing. If Tsukune didn't come to her, then _she_ would get to _him_!

It was only as she was getting out of the house, dressed and ready to meet the Bus Driver that things changed and someone _did_ come to her door.

A somewhat familiar man with a thin moustache and glowing eyes. Next to him, a rose-eyed, raven-haired girl with a handlebar haircut. "Kyouko-chan, we've come here to talk with you. It's about Tsukune."

She thought about telling them to leave, she thought about ignoring them. In the end, she let them in and put water in the boiler for tea.

They wanted to talk about Tsukune? Fine, then she would get her letter to him, no matter what!

About that time, the boy in question smiled; he had just read the timetable of the arriving of the students. He had to move quickly, Moka-san and the others were coming back!

Back to Youkai Gakuen, the one place he thought of as... home.

**A/N: Well, this one came out fast as well. Truth be told, I had written the past three chapters but with my father getting a surgery and me getting swamped with stupid tests (along with playing Dragon Age 2) I couldn't get the chance to fix them up to my standards. They are still not very good, but at least the fact I posted them in rapid succession will at least make it better.**

**And so we have reached the conclusion of RosarioVampire, right before getting to the sequel. You should be warned that many things will change, especially some things I don't agree with (such as Akasha's disappearence and Moka's childhood). Bigger and bigger changes will start to show up from now on, because admittedly I only rewrote the series by this point, which I seriously dislike. Do not worry, I will try to make more things original and inspired to give this fic the unique story I think it deserves.  
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**Today, on this 9/6/2012, I, Soulblazer87, do hereby leave this site, possibly forever.**

**I shall not update this, or any other story.**

**I shall leave them on, however. Should you desire to follow my stories, do so in my new site of residence: www dot yourfanfiction dot com.**


	10. Reunited

_Reunited_

A girl with pink hair was walking towards the Academy and many heads turned as she walked by. Male heads for the most part, though more than a couple female ones did as well.

Her walk was graceful and happy, showing just how cheerful she was and how much she was looking forward to attending the school again.

To her side walked a much younger girl, this one black haired and with an unmistakeable glint of intellect in her eyes, one far greater than her years would otherwise suggest.

The younger girl looked at the older one from under her wide-brimmed witch's hat and giggled. "Moka-san, you're as amazing as ever! Everyone's admiring your beauty and grace!"

The girl in question blushed at the praise and turned denied the 'accusation'. "W-w-what are you talking about Yukari-chan? That's not true!"

Just then two boys proved her wrong by doing a way too stiff introduction. "Excuse us, we have been taken aback by your beauty. Can we become aquaintances?"

Yukari giggled as she watched Moka try to put the poor boys down lightly. "You better stop that. It won't work, flirting with Moka-san I mean. She has already chosen Tsukune-san to be her future lover!"

"YUKARI-CHAN!" Cried out the now beet-red Moka, embarassed beyond belief. The two dejected boys were instantly forgotten in favour of scolding the younger witch. "What are you talking about! I never!"

Yukari giggled again, amused at Moka's embarassement. "I know, but I did it so they would leave Moka-san alone. They are not worthy of you anyway! Only Tsukune-san is worthy of you and when you admit your feelings to each other, you will go to bed and eventually share it with me and our sweaty bodies will be writhing top, bottom and middle and..." By now the girl was off in her fantasy world, drooling and bleeding from her nose, imagining all the things Moka and Tsukune would do with her.

"Yukari-chan!" Moka's voice snapped the witch from her fantasies. "Don't say things like that! It's so embarassing!"

Before Yukari had the chance to reply, a voice, masculine this time, interrupted them. "Moka-san, Yukari-chan! Here you are! I've been looking for you!"

Both girls instantly recognized the voice. "T-Tsukune-san! Y-you didn't hear that conversation?" At his confused look, she amended. "I-I mean, you're here already! It's been so long!" And with that she hugged the boy.

She thought it was just a friendly gesture until his arms wrapped around her body and her world shifted. There, wrapped in the boy's strong arms she felt different, she felt safe, she felt... complete in a way.

Now if only Yukari's fantasies stopped affecting her like that!

"I know, I missed you so much too..." His voice sent shivers down her body. He had grown in the six months they had been apart, it was obvious in his voice and the fact he was now slightly taller, in the small amount of stubble that was now breaking out the skin of his face, marking his passage to adulthood. Though, if she were _really_ honest with herself, she also noticed how toned his body felt under his clothes. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on the point of view, his scent had a very weird, though expected, effect on her. Namely revitalizing her thirst for his blood.

"Tsukune-san... I... it's been so long and I... I'm so thirsty!" Before he even got the time for a reply, she had sank her fangs into the soft flesh of his neck and happily began drinking his blood.

Tsukune chuckled at her reaction. Once, a long time ago, it hurt and annoyed him. Now, now he saw it in a different light. He saw it not only as a minor form of atonement for not being good enough for her, but he also quite liked the fact that his blood kept her well and happy. The intimacy of her lips on his neck was an added bonus. Without even a hint to it, he began channeling his youki into his blood, enhancing its power and taste.

The world almost lost focus for Akashiya Moka as she drank what could be considered ambrosia for vampires. The effect was strong that it even woke up her sleeping personality, shaking her from the Rosario-induced stupor and giving her a small taste of what she had been asking for in the past six months. Outer Moka could quite sympathize with her Inner Self at that moment; his blood really _was_ heavenly.

In the meantime, the dejected boys were looking at Tsukune not quite understanding what was happening.

"W-Who the hell is that?" Asked one, obviously missing Moka's greeting.

"That's Tsukune-san, Moka-san's lover!" Supplied the ever-cheerful witch. She was only too glad to dissuade others from messing with her vampire fantasy.

"What? A guy like that? What does she see in him, he looks so weak and plain!"

Yukari laughed at the poor boy's confusion. "Tsukune-san may look weak, but that's because he has a perfect human disguise. In fact, Tsukune-san can take on a Vampire if he ever got serious!" Well, that wasn't exactly true, but best to boast and dissuade these fools rather than having them pester her vampire couple later on. "Really! I saw him do it! He's amazing when he wants to be!"

Unfortunately for the vampiress in question and her 'breakfast', another girl was near there and she wasn't inclined to let things go on like that.

"Yahoo! Tsukune!" Kurumu shouted as she leapt at him. "I missed you so much!" And with that she had pulled him away from Moka and smothered him in her cleavage.

Of course, that had the unfortunate side-effect of interrupting Moka's meal. Her first live-blood meal in six months. Her first Tsukune-blood meal in six months! The Succubus was going to _suffer_!

"Kurumu-chan!" With a warcry she leapt at the succubus and began fighting.

In a completely childish way.

"And that would be Tsukune-san's worshiper, Kurono Kurumu. She's real strong too, so don't underestimate her!" Supplied Yukari, though she wasn't as cheerful this time, instead choosing to glare daggers at the blue-haired girl.

Two kunai made of ice were thrown from a bush and a monotone, soft voice came from it. "Stop it you two, you're embarassing my future husband."

"Mizore-chan!" Replied Tsukune waving at the girl.

Unfortunately, Mizore's habit kicked in at that moment. She blushed and proceeded to shock him with her bluntness again. "Tsukune... Let's go make a baby."

And before he had the time to react, Tsukune was being dragged off by an amorous yuki-onna who was saying that he shouldn't be embarassed since it was going to be her first time too.

"And that is Tsukune-san's stalker..." Said Yukari. Even though she seemed annoyed, inwardly she was glad that all her friends were there.

Ignoring the boys who were asking her about Tsukune and the other girls, mostly on how he managed to 'snag such hot chicks', Yukari giggled before walking next to Tsukune and watching the three girls duke it out in an absolutely ridiculous and childish way.

It was good to be back.

Later on, the group was just settling into their new homeroom, one of the few that actually remained mostly unscathed during the mass destruction that had happened.

"Yahoo-hoo!" Shouted an ecstatic Kurumu. "We're all together this year! With Nekonome-sensei too! Is this fate helping me get my Destined One?"

Tsukune laughed heartily. "More like _someone_ told the Headmaster that he'd better put us all in the same room or he would stop doing his chores..."

"Tsukune-san?" Asked a curious Moka. "What do you mean?"

Tsukune rubbed the back of his head apologetically. "Well... you know how my cousin reacted so... I couldn't go back to the human world..." He looked a bit dejected there. "I probably never will either..." When he raised his head to look at them though, he wasn't sad, he was determined. "So I used that spare time to stay here and trained. I'm different now, I have to learn as much as I can about _myself_. Of course, the Headmaster took advantage of that and had me do his chores. It was good training though, few things train your stamina as much as carrying rubble on your back all day long..."

Well, that explained his improved physique at least. However, none of the girls there was exactly happy with that developement. The reason? They had told Kyouko to stay away from Tsukune until he got back to the human world, believing he would get the first chance to go home. But he didn't.

The poor girl, and poor Tsukune as well, neither knew what the other thought and it only increased the hurt for both.

Not one of them caught the irony of that; it was the same with them only in a far subtler way.

Moka made to speak to Tsukune about it, but she didn't get the time; Shizuka Nekonome entered the classroom and her happy-go-lucky, extravagant personality prevented her from telling Tsukune what a mistake he had made.

Unfortunately, she also forgot about telling him later on, and so did the other girls, leaving Tsukune in his belief that his cousin-that-was-like-a-sister hated him.

At least the pink-haired vampiress was justified in her forgetting. Due to her drinking the blood she had craved for six months, her other side was less than happy about still being sealed. So, the silver-haired version of herself spent several hours nagging her about 'keeping his blood all to herself' and 'not sharing the goods'.

It would be hilarious hadn't she actually gotten a headache from all that.

Deciding to get some time to herself, and try to calm down the irate Inner voice in her head, Moka took the first chance to explore the new school.

She was quickly found by Tsukune. "Hey, why are you so down Moka-san? I thought you'd be happier. Usually I'm the one who is gloomy."

Moka giggled at his antics, he had really changed. "It's not important... just things I guess, thinking and all." The boy nodded and looked expectantly at her and she knew she had to say more. "I just... I don't know... we've all changed and things haven't been going well... though they could have been worse... And you didn't even go home for the entire break!"

The Akuchi smiled at her and made a 'follow me' sign. "Come on, let me show you something cool." He led her behind one of the new statues. There he pressed a small indent in the wall and a door opened, leading to some stairs going up. "The whole school had to be built from scratch, so I thought, why not make it _better_? Now, it doesn't just look like an old haunted mansion/castle, it has hidden corridors. You can't access them normally, even if you know where they are, but those in the Student Police and the Student Council get special permits to use them. Sure helps us get around."

It was a dimly lit flight of stairs leading up, with small orange lights providing for them. Moka touched the side and felt the newly made brick wall. "Wow... so I guess you're still in the council this year Tsukune-san?"

"Unfortunately... yes... I'm going to be swamped with chores, since I was the only one from the council that was active during the festival fiasco, which apparently has made me the go-to person. I've even been asked to reform it. At least it lets me change things a bit, make it a bit more fair, you know? I discussed it with Kuyou-kun as well about both sides' privileges. We had six months to do it so we put quite a bit of thought into it."

"Kuyou... you don't mean that Youko Police Officer?" Moka was stunned and more than a bit frightened, last time she had seen him, he had tried to burn them all alive.

"Yes, him. I know, it was bad. I still remember his flames sometimes... But, despite it all, he's very honorable. Don't look at me like that! He is honorable, in his own way. He just lost his path. Our encounter helped straighten him out. He's much nicer these days, even tries to make other Police members get off their power trip. He helped me quite a bit too, during the break."

By now, they had reached a door and Tsukune pushed it open, revealing it to be an exit to one of the many rising pillars on the outside. The view had improved much during the break. Now there were some green vines growing up the walls and even a small lake with a few willow trees on the banks. It looked more lively but had lost nothing from its 'character'. She could even see what seemed to be a small cave-like well ahead, probably for the dark-dwelling monsters.

"Wow... it's beautiful up here..."

"I know. Me and Kuyou had a lot of work to do, it's a wonder we ever got the time to fight..."

"F-fight?"

"Yeah... I'm a combat-type monster, obviously. Besides, I get the feeling that Ishigami wasn't the last case of trouble we'd get on our lap. Don't forget she was never captured and neither was Kiria. These two could be working together. So I needed the practice, including learning to feel more comfortable in my other form, as much as I may hate resorting to it. At least, now I can fight somewhat even in this form, I learned to channel my youki much better than before. Though that might be Moka-san's blood helping me..." He grinned sheepishly there, as if he was thankful for her blood, which he was eve though she was scared he hated that part of her.

"I... I see... so Tsukune-san got stronger right?"

"Well, more comfortable fighting anyway... I still don't like fighting, but at least I can actually dodge some attacks. Kuyou made sure of that, the damn pyromaniac..." He muttered the last breath, several months of getting repeatedly scorched by the demonic fox's flames. "I even get to know Ruby-san a bit more, she's a very interesting person once you get to know her. Did you know she is a shoujo-manga fanatic? She invited me to her room once to give me something she had made and I almost got buried in her manga!"

Moka giggled. Then realized that he had been invited into another girl's, no woman's, room. She felt a pang of anger and more than a bit of worry. She didn't call it jealousy though. "Y-you went to Ruby-san's room? W-what for?"

"Well... Ruby-san said that, and I quote, 'as much as she liked seeing me dressed in rags, sometimes I should really avoid showing some things to everyone'. So, she made me this." With that he showed her a small pendant, more like a choker he wore. It was simple with a few colored beads and woven cloth, but it was beautiful in its simplicity. In the center there was a small flat stone pebble with a single weird rune carved on it. "It repairs my clothes when I exit my other form. Considering I can't very well ask for extra uniforms from my parents any more, it's really useful..."

"Ah... I see..." Damn, now she was angry at Ruby-san for giving him something that useful! Deciding to change the subject lest her annoyance became obvious, she continued. "So what did you learn from Kuyou-san? Martial arts or something?"

Tsukune didn't laugh, he almost broked down in laughter. "M-m-martial arts? Haha, no way, no way! He just kicked my ass in my human form until I learned to react enough to at least see his punches. _Then_ he started sending his subordinates to beat me up, which they were all too happy to do actually, at least the males, the females for some reason chose to hang back." Tsukune shrugged, he had a good idea as to why, but he didn't want to think about it too much. "In the end, I learned how and where to hit on my own. Either I got better at fighting, or I would get knocked around silly. Near the end, me and Kuyou actually had a few spars and, I must say I have a hard time even getting to land a blow on him. Inner Moka-san must be amazing to actually beat him!"

Moka sighed internally, at least he didn't forget to compliment her Inner self, it helped calm her down. She turned to look at the horizon again, where the red sea met the always cloudy sky. She felt more than heard or saw Tsukune lean on the railing and exhale slowly, relaxing on the roof, _their_ roof.

The silence was comfortable and yet awkward, but they did nothing to break it, each waiting for something to happen.

It did, but not in any desirable way.

The cry of a male, the cry of pain from a male came up to their ears from a floor below. Tsukune was quickly shook from his relaxation and ran for the stairs, with Moka right behind him.

Until they got to the floor, the sounds were getting worse, like someone was actually beating on several people, like a small fight had broken out.

When a girl's crying reached Tsukune's ears, he grit his teeth and sped up even more. His youki was agitated enough that Moka had no trouble sensing it even without her supersensory radar. It also drove the point home; he had gotten much stronger, or at least more in tune with himself in the past six months.

When Tsukune stepped in the corridor the sounds were coming from, he almost snarled in fury.

Several students, _fellow_ students, with names and faces and lives, were all lieing bloodied on the floor. A girl was lifted in the air, hanging from her throat at the hands of a large bully and several of his friends.

"You! Stop this immidiately!"

The large bully turned to Tsukune and sneered in disgust. "Or what, weakling? What are you going to do? Cry your way to momma? If you give us that cute chick behind you, we'll let you walk away with your limbs mostly intact."

"I am warning you! Put the girl down and step away from the students or I will be forced to fight!"

The bully mocked Tsukune by mimicking his voice. _"I will be forced to fight!_ Hahaha! What's this a joke, shrimp? Me and my gang are seizing this stupid place! We waited through the past semester, but we're sick of it! Everyone here's weak and pathetic!"

"You are the pathetic ones." Tsukune's voice held cold contempt and he began walking towards the group. "You are unable of doing anything unless it is to break or destroy. Unable to create, unable to protect, who are you to _dare_ to lecture me? I am Aono Tsukune, Council Member. These people are under my protection and you have ignored my warning. I am no longer responcible for what is about to happen. If _you_ give up, you will be handed over to the Student Police with minimal injuries. Resist and I will have to fight you."

Moka gasped when she saw Tsukune march down the bullies and at them as if they were not even insects before him. It was scary, how emotionless and cold he sounded. On the other hand, she couldn't help but find him commanding, much like the way a lord would command those beneath him. To have power and only use it when needed, that was Tsukune, that was a true noble man.

She hated the fact that he wasn't also a vampire, because then things would have been so much simpler for her.

But the delinquents didn't care about anything like that. The minions charged at the command of their master, using their superior physical power to beat the little upstard, even shifting to their true forms which revealed them as hybrids to those who could tell them apart.

Moka closed her eyes just before the first blow was about to land and waited for the sound of tearing cloth, furious roaring and flesh being torn.

It didn't happen. What reached her ears was a deep 'oof!' sound, as if someone had had the air violently expelled from their lungs.

Her eyes snapped open and she gawked.

Tsukune had dodged the straight punch by leaning to the side and then moving to the side, which was towards his attacker, and smashing his elbow full-power at the charger.

Said person double over as the blow landed on his sternum and emptied his chest of air.

Tsukune's elbow quickly straightened in a vicious backhand that sent the kneeling monster rolling into the floor, right before he made a spin that placed him right inside the defence of the second attacker.

The Akuchi stepped harshly onto the delinquent's foot, disrupting his focus at the underhanded tactic, but also opening his stomach and kidneys wide for the 'shrimp'.

Three punches later and the delinquent met the floor like a sack of potatoes; one to each kidney and another vicious thrust right in the middle of the stomach.

Puke erupted from the latter, but Tsukune ignored it in favour of pivoting out of the way of a lashing fist. He grabbed the offender's other arm and used his otherworldly strength to pull and smash him, head first onto a wall, actually making several spiderweb cracks.

The next two were defeated in much the same way; using rookie strikes that however held immense power in them and were deceptively effective and well-timed.

After the last of the subordinates fell, their leader charged Tsukune from the back, hoping to crush the insolent whelp.

Seeing that, Moka cried out Tsukune's name as a warning. She needn't have.

Windows not only allow one to see to the outside, but also make wonderful reflective surfaces.

With a small ripping sound, a long spiked, muscle-covered, segmented tail erupted from Tsukune's tailbone and wrapped around both arms and the torso of the gang leader.

"I told you I would have to fight, now look what you've done!" The tail began constricting and the sound of protesting bones came from the bully's torso. "I can't let you go that easy, you know. You have hurt my fellow students. You're going to be punished for that. Unfortunately for you, I'm not going to issue that punishment. Right, Kuyou-kun?"

Said Student Police leader stepped forward, dressed in his black and gold uniform. "I told you not to adress me that familiarly Aono. But yes, unfortunately for this fool, _I_ am the one to administer punishment. We'll take care of things now, let the idiot go."

Tsukune obeyed and released the ring leader from his tail and said male fell to his knees, trying to shake the pain from his torso. "W-what a fool! Now I can transfo-" He didn't get to finish as a Police member smashed his staff onto the perpetrator's head, knocking him out cold.

Kuyou nodded approvingly at Tsukune and quickly issued orders for the delinquents to be gathered and transferred. He grinned slightly when he saw some of his _female_ subordinates arrive.

"Kuyou-sama, we heard some commotion and came over to- Tsukune-sama!" And cue Tsukune getting swarmed by highly excited girls, asking him how he was, how his day had gone, if he had fought, if they had missed anything important, if he had been hurt...

The poor boy only gulped uncomfortably once he saw Moka glaring at them, a phantasmal image of her other self hovering over her, unleashing killing intent that would make plants wilt.

Despite her glaring however, Moka could not refute one point; Tsukune was becoming more and more like a man, leaving behind the boyish side of him that she had found so cute last year. It would be sad if she didn't find his newfound one much more attractive. Unfortunately, that in and of itself was unsettling for her.

There was a reason after all for that old, though oft ignored even when it held power, rule that vampires only mated with vampires. Not for the purity of their blood, but for the inevitable heartbreak; even if not truly immortal, a vampire could live to be several millenia old... far longer than any other Ayashi.

It took the two some time to get free of the swamping fangirls, but in the end Tsukune and Moka managed to get away from them.

"Tsukune-san, you were amazing back there! You didn't even transform once! That training must have really paid off!" She said, complimenting him. While his fighting form had been that of a rookie, it was effective and she wasn't about to deny that. Especially considering that he fought in a _human_ body rather than a restrained monster body.

He chuckled embarassed at that. "N-Not really. I told you I learned to use my youki a bit better right? I used as much as I'm allowed with the Lock in place to enhance my strength, otherwise they wouldn't even have felt my strikes." Not entirely true; he had also forced his muscles to condence and enhance like they did in his demonic form, but he wasn't about to let that fact out. It was bad enough that he revealed the fact he could do partial transformations.

Which of course Moka had noticed. "But, how could you manifest your tail? I don't understand, I thought you had to fully transform?"

He cringed a bit, not because of the question, but because of all the fights he had had with his Inner Demon to acquire that ability. "Yeah, I thought so too... Turns out I _can_ regulate my transformation and only let some parts out... It's still weaker than my full battle form, mostly because my Inner Demon is usually guiding me... It... its instincts, its combat understanding, make fighting easy. But when I'm only bringing out parts of my other form, it doesn't help me at all and I have to depend only on myself. I had to work a lot to get to the point I am now, and even then I'm not at my Inner Demon's level..." That admission saddened him, as if it gave some points off to the Inner Demon rather than himself.

Because that's what the Inner Demon was reminding him at that moment. How he was pathetic and weak without his influence, how no one would ever truly accept him unless he forced them to, how he denied himself the exhilaration and rush of power he felt when he beat up those delinquents...

Moka noticed that sadness. She might be flighty most of the time, but she was perceptive enough when she had to, she just didn't _like_ to. She was too cheerful a person to focus on reading a person's emotions. Unless of course it was one of her friends, such as at that moment. She didn't quite get why he was sad, but she suspected it had to do with some feeling of inferiority to the sealed part of himself. She went through that phase as well every time her Inner Self scolded or belittled her. Unlike his case however, her Inner had her Outer's best interests in mind so it wasn't done with malice but rather a way to encourage or annoy her enough into action.

Sneaking a peak at his wrist, she saw the form of the Lock, the artifact that was tailored specifically to his needs, to his special circumstances. Not only did he have to deal with his burden as an Akuchi, but also that of a Ghoul.

He was probably unique in that. It wasn't because he was the first Akuchi to be granted Vampire blood, it must have happened before for sure. However, what made his case special was that not only was he given the blood of a Shinso Vampire, who were on a whole other level than others of their race, but also due to how he gained his Demonblooded abilities. Normally, if an ayashi was given the blood of another, they would gain little benefit, 'burning' it for a short term boost or simply refilling their own stores, depending on the circumstances. However, Tsukune _wasn't_ a monster when he was given her blood. He became one _afterwards_. Because of that, his body was already adapting to the vampiric blood inside him when his demonic heritage was awakened. And with both abilities being blood-based, it made things even more complicated.

Moka was just beginning to realize that Tsukune could very well be the first of his own race. He could be unique, he could be the first vampiric-based Akuchi.

She hoped at least. Maybe, if he were, he could gain at least part of her vitality and live long enough to be at her side for more than a blink in the endless centuries of life she would live through. If she was _really_ lucky, he might even become immortal if his already mutable demonic blood adapted well enough to her blood.

The vampire trapped inside her rosario shook her head. She too would have liked that, but she was more down-to-earth than her pink-haired side. She knew it would never happen, she knew it could never happen. Everything had its place, nothing could simply change his place in the world. Her place was inside that seal, her place was to live an immortal life and live it alone. As much as Inner Moka would want to change it, she knew she couldn't, she had resigned herself to her fate long ago.

Her resignation never meant she stopped praying that somehow, sometime, something would change and she would be able to defy that bleak fate of hers. Words she had prayed several months ago when her mistakes finally became apparent were repeated again, unvoiced this time too, but with a different context to them. _'If only...'_

Outer Moka however, as much as she could understand her Inner self, wasn't privy to her thoughts. So she was left in more naive thoughts and fantasies, those of living a life next to the man who would love her forever.

It was a _total_ coincidence that this man had chestnut hair and brown eyes.

Yup, total coincidence.

Yukari would _never_ know just how much her words affected the vampiress.

But for now, she was content to go to Youkai Gakuen, have fun with her friends that were almost as close to her as family. For now, she was content laughing along with Yukari, fighting with Mizore and Kurumu about Tsukune and sharing with them her life.

At least seeing their faces when she told them how Tsukune reacted to the bullies was hilarious.

The new year in the Monster Academy was looking bright.

Four girls and a boy all had a single wish that day, hoping it would come true; _"I wish this would last forever, these days of peace and laughter."_

Hopes and wishes of youth rarely come true. But that is why the youth who dream would fight all the more fiercely to protect their dreams.

**A/N: And we're off to the new start. Now it might have taken me a bit to get out, but here it is. Hopefully it's up to par, if not you know what to do; give a yell and I'll see what I can do.  
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**Today, on this 9/6/2012, I, Soulblazer87, do hereby leave this site, possibly forever.**

**I shall not update this, or any other story.**

**I shall leave them on, however. Should you desire to follow my stories, do so in my new site of residence: www dot yourfanfiction dot com.**


	11. Equality Of Understanding

_Equality Of Understanding_

Tsukune could hardly decide between breaking down in laughter or being absolutely horrified that morning.

The reason? Kurono Kurumu.

Or rather, the way she was moving, moaning and the things she was mumbling while asleep during Kagome Liliko's math lesson.

"Ah... Tsukune... yes... right there... don't be so fast... ohhh..."

Well, there was also turning beet-red with embarassment.

A sudden motion to the edge of his sight shook him from trying to wake up the sleeping succubus. His hand lashed out in a flash and smashed the thrown math implement to the side, much to the shock of the thrower, their sensei.

She had already taken up the perfect pose to scold Kurumu, tossing another triangle in the air. Then it was _her_ chance to be shaken as Tsukune seemed to spit her way and launch a big, green, foul-smelling ball of liquid towards her hand.

Liliko had just taken her hand from under the plastic object when the glob of liquid impacted it and tossed it to the blackboard... where it proceeded to melt the wall behind her...

"W-W-What the?" She only whispered it, but the entire class could sympathize.

"Kagome Liliko-sensei..." Tsukune's voice was as harsh as his eyes that glared at her. "My accuracy in my human form is atrocious, so next time you throw something at my friends, I may _miss_ my target. Am I understood?"

"H-H-How d-d-dare you! Are you threatening me boy?" She screeched, her fear obvious not only in her uncharacteristic stutter but even in her scent. No student could blame her for that though.

"No, I am stating a fact; my reaction to the threat of my friends is instinctive. If you throw anything at them again, I will react the same way but I may miss. Besides, as a woman, I thought you were aware that there are far more ways to wake someone rather than hitting them. Unless that is your thing Kagome-sensei..."

Great, now _she_ was the one who was blushing and earning the chuckles from the entire class. What could she say? It really _was_ her thing.

Tsukune ignored that however, instead he went back to trying to shake Kurumu awake. When he failed again, he sighed and moved next to her ear where he only whispered to her. "Kurumu-chan, the cookies are burning... your important Tsukune-cookies are burning up!"

The poor girl shot up wide awake shouting. "Nooo! My Tsukune-cookies!" Then she paused to rethink about it. "Wait, I don't make Tsukune-coo...kies... Gyah!" That was when she noticed exactly where she was and promptly sat down embarassed.

The lesson took some time to start again from that break and Tsukune couldn't help but be annoyed by the way some girls thought he was 'very manly' about the way he protected his girl friend. Apparently, men with ideals were rare in the monster world.

Liliko decided against harshly testing any of Tsukune's friends other than Yukari and Moka, knowing that these two always paid attention and were good at her class. The boy had grown way too much spine in the past six months and wasn't even slightly intimidated by her any more. Then again, she didn't know what horrors he had gone through in that time. So, deciding to put that event behind her, she asked Moka to solve the problem, with the vampiress being impeccable in her solution as always. Which, as always, gathered much murmuring about her skills and how her beauty was equal to her mind and how her personality was so nice and...

It made Tsukune growl to hear them like that. Some small, possessive part of himself hated it when others looked at her that way.

He took a calming breath to avoid blowing up at the fools who only saw Moka's outside beauty and declared her to be perfect, unknowing of her true self, her failings and mistakes, the things that really made her great to his eyes.

Kurumu on the other hand was mumbling about smartasses and how anyone could do that if they studied a bit more. Her ranting was made even more furious when Liliko decided to get the last word in as the bell rang; "Kurumu-chan, please try to follow Moka-san's example a bit more, please. And Aono-kun, hitting women isn't a knightly thing to do."

Understandably, the teacher left rather hurriedly after that.

Yukari, always wanting to reinforce Moka's position as the perfect woman, quickly conjured up a pair of glasses like Liliko's and mimcked her voice and accent when scolding Kurumu.

_"Kurumu-chan, please try to follow Moka-san's example a bit more, please."_ Then she broke down in merry laughter. "That's impossible! Kurumu-san isn't anywhere near as smart as Moka-san! There's no contest between them!"

The minature witch was soon being strangled by an annoyed Kurumu, leaving Tsukune to play peacemaker, trying to calm her down. "Yukari-chan! Please don't say such things! Kurumu-chan has many other good points! And Kurumu-chan, please stop trying to kill Yukari-chan!"

Just as Kurumu was getting her hopes back up, Mizore decided to bring them back down, harshly. "Actually, Kurumu's ability in every other lesson is pretty horrible..."

Kurumu growled while Tsukune tried to calm her down and make Mizore stop saying things like that. Catching a glimpse of pink, she turned and glared at Moka.

"Well, I may be bad at studying and such things, but at least I will always surpass Moka in feminine charms!" And with that she was pressing her considerable bust against Moka's own.

Seeing another fight coming up, Tsukune decided to be a bit more forceful, even though he didn't like to. "Please stop it! All of us are good at some things and bad at something else, it's just the way things go! I mean, Moka-san is a great student, but there are things that Kurumu-chan is better at. Mizore-chan constantly skips lessons, but there are few better than her in tracking and stealth! Yukari-chan is the youngest of us all and she is smarter than any of us. We're _all_ good at something. That's the way things are!"

Mizore was pretty miffed at that. "And what exactly is boob-lady good at?"

"You've never been caught in her illusions then I guess..." Answered a smirking Tsukune, remembering the fate of a fan who went a bit too far in his obsession. "And Kurumu-chan is also very good at cooking, especially her cookies, they're to die for! Even more importantly, she's a very kind and nice person, so I don't care if she's bad in book stuff. I'm not that good at it either."

Kurumu was looking at Tsukune with stars in her eyes and Yukari quickly rushed in to save Moka's 'honor' "Then what about Moka-san?"

Tsukune hummed for a bit. "The Inner or Outer? Outer Moka-san is very good at studying and very kind, but she isn't good at fighting. Inner Moka-san is very good at fighting but she's not very good at cooking and home economics. And you Yukari-chan, you are the smartest person I've ever seen, but you can't fight much either and you're bad at things that you haven't learned from a book. Don't you see? We're all bad at something, that's why we need our friends to help us overcome our problems. So stop fighting, alright?"

The gem in Moka's rosario was absolutely glaring at the boy, but even Inner Moka couldn't deny the truth of his words.

Unfortunately, the ceasefire lasted only for a bit until the girls started fighting again, this time it was about which one had the best measurements. They decided to end it in the most direct way possible; they grabbed 'poor' Tsukune and stuck him in the middle of their combined cleavage. With little surprise, he fainted from blood loss.

His last thoughts, before he was swallowed up in dreams and fantasies, was; _'They can't stop fighting! I guess I'll have to resort to _that_... Damn...'_

The fighting stopped when Nekonome walked into the class and gathered everyone up, telling them to go board the bus because they had 'special training' to do.

A bit later, the entire class was getting off the bass into a large clearing where a huge table with several knives and even a few cleavers had been placed. Nekonome almost hopped her way there.

"Alright class! It's time to begin Spring's Fruit Hunt!" She announced as if it were a great event. "Since it's the right season, we have gathered here to earn a bit of the blessings of Nature we're due, thanks to us being Ayashi! Now, pay attention, there are lots and lots of tasty fruit here, but the greatest kind is this!" And then she pulled out a large, spiky fruit with _mouths_ of all things on it. It even quivered slightly. "The Monster Dorian fruit!" Then she brought out a cleaver, yet again from gods know where, and cut it in half, letting its aroma of it flow into everyone's nose. The aroma of blood that is.

Undeterred, the cat demoness continued. "Since it's so hard to harvest, it's really hard to gather this fruit! Especially since, due to the fruits being ripe, birds come and there are a few carnivorous fruits preying on them!" How she made it sound like a cheerful festival, the entire class would never know. "Now get ready, we have baskets here to gather your fruits!"

The students cheered at getting a few hours to have fun rather than study and went to get their baskets. Or well, most of them did.

Because in Tsukune's group, Kurumu, Moka and Mizore were glaring at each other about who would get that fruit. Yukari of course supported Moka. In short moments the girls decided it, against Tsukune's will at that; the winner would get a romantic dinner with the sole male of their group.

Try as the male might, the girls were by that time set in their competition. Be it either to get the laurels of defeating the others or to get themselves some time alone with the boy, they were dead-set on their goal. Tsukune's pleas fell on deaf ears.

It was after quite a bit of walked, when the girls were becoming irritated and annoyed that they saw it; the weird 'fruit'. It wiggled around and from its toothy maws protruded tentacle-like tongues. While Mizore and Kurumu gawked at how suddenly it showed up, Moka had no such reservations. She quickly leapt at it and picked it up.

"Yay! I got it! Lucky!" She cheered happily.

Tsukune and Yukari quickly noticed something was strange, mostly because the other two girls were too busy glaring at Moka and cursing the fact that they were stunned about how suddenly it appeared.

"Moka-san, let it go!" Said Tsukune but it was too late for the surprised girl. The tentacles from its mouth extended quickly and wrapped around her like a hentai movie. Moka even screamed something about how 'it's in!' before falling over blushing and panting.

Unperturbed by that, in possibly more than one ways, Kurumu leapt after it. Since it was hoping around rather energetically for a plant however, Mizore decided to help... by launching a barrage of sharp icicles.

Admittedly, that _did_ work. The problem? It worked too well and hit Kurumu as well. The succubus wasted no time stating her dislike at being riddled with sharp ice bullets by smacking a weird folded paper fan on Mizore's head, which made the yuki-onna release the monster dorian. Really, there's no way folded paper makes bumps of _that_ size, but Tsukune would rather not discuss it with the irate succubus at that moment.

Especially since the blue-head decided to disregard everyone and run off on her own after the still hopping fruit. Hadn't she heard _anything_ about the place? Tsukune followed her quickly, wanting to keep her safe.

After a small marathon of chasing down the devilish fruit, Kurumu and Tsukune arrived at a clearing where it stopped and wiggled weakly.

"Did... did it run out of energy or something?" Asked a panting Kurumu.

"I don't... don't think so... It seems to be waiting for something, it's really weird..."

"Well, since we're here, we might as well collect it and win!"

"Wait, Kurumu-san, it could be a trap!" Warned the boy, but it was too late.

Kurumu had already picked up the fruit. "Yahoo, I got it! Now you have to have a romantic dinner with me Tsukune!"

Said boy was moving towards the succubus when someone ran past him and pushed the cheering girl away, someone with long, pink hair. Moka's voice was quite recognizable. "Watch out Kurumu-chan!"

The unfortunate girl was knocked off her feet and only had time to glare at Moka before large teeth seemed to spring out from the ground around her and attempt to close in on the girl.

Faster than they ever knew he was, Tsukune leapt inside the fanged dome and pushed Moka out, but not without his hand pulling her silver rosario off her chest.

Inner Moka would forever remember that awakening as one of the most terrifying occurences in her life.

Whips made of roots and a large pot belly riddled with Dorian fruits erupted, a huge plant monster, the true Monster Dorian. It would be best if we left out the smell of rotten flesh and foliage out.

"W-what the hell is this?" Screamed Kurumu.

"That's the true Dorian plant, a carnivorous plant that uses its fruit much like angler fish use light to lure its prey! We must hurry or Tsukune-san will get digested!" Called out the group's resident witch.

"She's right." Agreed Moka. "While in his human form, Tsukune shares all the weaknesses of a human body, that stomach could already have knocked him unconscious and unable to transform or fight his way out. Now, stand back while I take care of this."

With that, the silver-haired vampiress leapt at the monster and delivered one of her infamous kicks.

Unfortunately, she had forgotten what had happened at the Witch's Knoll. Plant-type monsters don't have an anatomy and feel no pain or shock from trauma.

Which means that even though her kick pulverized a good part of the plant, it didn't stop it as the girls quickly found out when it lashed out with its whip-like roots.

Moka gritted her teeth. That opponent wasn't particularly dangerous or strong, but it was tough to beat and would take her quite a while to defeat. But she didn't have time, because Tsukune could already be being digested. The mere thought of her made her hair stand on edge and her youki roar around her.

"It's just as Tsukune-san said!" Cried out Yukari from behind a shield made of ice, courtesy of an infuriated yuki-onna. "We can't take it on alone! We have to cooperate!"

Cooperation, the mere thought of that left the bitter taste of bile on Moka's tongue. If she had to cooperate with someone, then that meant that the enemy was too strong for her to defeat and that was unacceptable!

A small voice in the back of her head however asked her something; "Is your pride more important than Tsukune's life?"

In the end she decided. "Hmph, apparently, I need your help to beat it before it kills Tsukune. So, shall we fight it together?"

Kurumu let out a small laugh at that, but it wasn't her usual happy laugh. It was bursting with hate and malice as she took her true form. "Hehehe... what are you talking about Moka? Fight it? For hurting my Destined One, we're going to _destroy_ it!"

"I agree with the boob-girl. No one touches the father of my children!" Again Mizore and her obsession with childbirth.

"Righ~desu! Let's go!" And of course, one should not forget the little witch. She may be young, but she carried a mean set of metal cards on her, and she was not afraid to use them!

By the end of that event, nearly the entire class could have a bit of Dorian. After all, why let all that great fruit go to waste after defeating the true plant? They did leave one behind to act as a seed however.

Tsukune found out that, despite his reservations at eating a fruit that still moved, it tasted quite good. Especially when shared on a table with several friends around as Kurumu expertly noted.

Excusing himself for a bit, Tsukune went to a bush to relieve himself. He had just began to do it too, when a creepy as hell voice came from behind him.

"Well, your little plan did work out in the end. It was a very dangerous thing to do however Tsukune-kun..." The Bus Driver chuckled behind his eternal cigar.

"I know... But what else could I do? We can't hope to be individually strong to fight off every enemy, nor can we always depend on Inner Moka-san... They had to learn to cooperate and this was the best way to do it..."

"Kukuku... At least your determination still holds strong boy... I wish you the best of luck, because truly dark times are coming to Youkai Gakuen and the errors of your past will come to haunt you..."

Appreciating the advice, and trying to get over the creepiness of it all, Tsukune walked back to his friends to enjoy a meal well earned.

Youkai Gakuen's Most Important Lesson: Passed.

Of course it didn't end there. After finishing their food, Tsukune noticed that a plate still had a rather large side of Dorian. When he tried to take it, Moka stopped him.

"Moka-san? Who's this for?"

The girl looked rather uncomfortable there. "U-Umm... it's for Ura-chan..."

Tsukune's eyes widened a bit with realization. "Oh, so she wants a bite too? Want to go somewhere out of sight, I don't think the students here will feel comfortable with her youki. It's kind of large and may scare them."

Inside the Rosario, Inner Moka smirked widely. She hadn't even had to convince her Outer to lure him where they could be alone. Now if her emotional self stopped acting that embarassed about it... Though, now that she thought about it, two young adolescents, going off alone into the woods... especially with the effect Tsukune's blood had on her... She chuckled.

Moka grabbed Tsukune with one hand and the plate with the treat with the other and pulled him away from everyone. Unfortunately, she didn't notice Mizore, Yukari and Kurumu following her. Well, Yukari was there to peep on the final union of her Vampire pair and Mizore and Kurumu were there to prevent exactly that from occuring.

Imagine the surprise of the three stalking girls when they saw Inner Moka being released without a fight, or the way their male friend looked at her. Damn, now they were jealous of her.

Inner Moka ate the food with graceful, controlled motions, like the aristocrat she had been raised to be. Only after she finished her meal did she hum appreciatively and put the plate down on a large rock. "Hmm... it was good. Better than the ones we had at home..." Then she walked towards Tsukune, a small blush creeping on her face.

It was the first time the group noticed just how graceful her walk was. Outside of a combat, they had never quite realized just how fluid or confident her steps were. It was worse in the case of Tsukune, as from his point of view, Moka was almost hypnotically swinging her hips. Though that might be his imagination and rather powerful hormones. Not to forget an Inner Demon mocking him about not showing her what she's missing out on, or she would never accept him if he doesn't do something drastic, like taking her against a tree for example. At least the boy had trained his mind enough to ignore the voice for the most part. And focus on the near-sashaying movements of the vampiress in front of him. He nearly gulped when she came within inches of him.

"Tsukune..." She said in a low, hushed voice, looking straight into his eyes with her reptilian red ones, actually making him gulp. "Give it to me..."

Mental screeching halt, much sputtering, spluttering, curses and a fountain of blood.

"Wha-wha-wha-what?" Tsukune's back was against a tree so there was not much of space to move to and avoid the ever approaching vampiress.

"Give it to me..." She repeated forcefully as she was within inches of him and he could swear she was pretty damn the most erotic thing he had ever seen. And with some of his fangirls, he had seen a _lot_. "Your... blood!" With that, Moka's fangs pierced Tsukune's neck, releasing his blood into her awaiting mouth.

Kurumu and Mizore, who were leaping towards the vampiress fell flat on their faces right in the middle of the jump, crashing in a heap.

Neither Moka nor Tsukune paid much attention to them however. Moka... Well Moka was just too immersed in drinking his blood, trying to find again that source of power and awareness and raw energy that had coursed into her.

Tsukune on the other hand... He just focused on how different Inner and Outer were when drinking. Outer would hang on his neck while biting, squealing a bit. Inner Moka on the other hand, wrapped her arms around him to hold _him_ steady and took a whiff of his scent before biting, almost like testing fine wine, and she wasn't afraid to go for maximum contact while sating her vampiric urges. Which meant that, due to his hormones, Moka would _very_ soon be able to feel the effects that her actions did to his traitorous body.

Unbeknownst to him, she already had taken note of that and was also trying to ignore it, lest things quickly went to a direction she couldn't allow them to move.

But, all of a sudden, and way too soon in more than one ways, Inner Moka pulled her head from the crook of Tsukune's neck and almost glared at him. "I said give it to me, you're not giving it to me." Again with that commanding voice.

"Wh-wh-what should I give you?" Did he even _dare_ hope he had misheard or misunderstood?

She crushed it all again. "Your true blood! The blood you gave Outer! Give it to me again!"

He nodded quite uncomfortably and hoped to _some_day get rid of that blush and the reaction her words, so easily taken out of context, brought to him.

Then she just bit him again and moaned into his neck when his youki entered his blood and then her own system. It was all he could do to grab the tree behind him and not the girl in front of him.

While Moka was too absorbed by the action of drinking that heavenly blood and Kurumu and Mizore were all too miffed about the way he panted, Yukari was the only one to notice that with his head arced back, fangs were making themselves very obvious. Very vampire-like fangs. The little witch smirked. Just a bit more, just a little bit more and her plans would be a success!

Now, if she could adapt HoreHore-kun to work through blood and inject it to Tsukune and Moka... Her hormonal glee caught up with the little girl and she knew no more as she fainted with a nosebleed.

When she was finished, Moka pulled back, but not before giving a long lick to seal the puncture wounds unlike her flighty other side. She couldn't have any of that blood wasted now, could she?

The temptress inside her was all too pleased to see how Tsukune's eyes, now staring at her from the base of a tree after almost collapsing, giving her a look that was not anywhere near _friendly_.

Well, she wanted to tease him a bit as well. It wasn't fair that only her Outer could do it. Realizing the paths these thoughts had taken, and where they would eventually lead to, she quickly stopped them with an impressive force of will.

It was too bad she also was too absorbed in the high brought on by the blood to notice his fangs, extended and glinting in the dim light of the forest.

When the Rosario was in her hands, seconds before being put back into place, she couldn't help herself but look back at him and give him a small wink. Then her hair turned pink, her eyes green and her consciousness was trapped inside the silver prison, free to express herself in any way she wanted.

Which meant that Outer Moka was left there to feel the burn of Tsukune's smouldering eyes and a certain Yuki-onna and Succubus pair's glaring. The shock of being awakened with such a full stomach, enough that she didn't think she could drink blood that day even if she wanted, ruined her concentration just for the minute second needed to release a short, somehow cute even, burp. The pink-haired girl instantly 'eep'ed' once realizing what she did and turned beet red with embarassement.

Her Inner Self's description about Tsukune's blood and how it felt trickling down her throat certainly did _not_ help her.

It took quite a bit of time for Tsukune and the others to return to the rest of the class and a bit more to go back to their rooms. Most to study, though a certain male also had to take a very cold shower. During all that time, Kurumu and Mizore couldn't stop glaring at their pink-haired friend, though Yukari was just staring at her with stars and hearts in her eyes. Check that, Kurumu _did_ stop glaring at the girl, though that was mostly so she could pout and mumble about 'how can a vampire be more seductive than a succubus, no fair, no fair!' and promptly try to seduce Tsukune.

The Bus Driver's none-too-innocent comments and Nekonome-sensei's winking and low whispering about 'using protection' only made things worse for the frustrated vampire.

And the demon trapped inside him didn't know if he was born out of Tsukune's fury or Tsukune's long repressed _lust_. Oh great now even _it_ was having existential issues!

**A/N: Shorter, but easier to get out as well. I would have put it in the previous one, but I couldn't because I couldn't thematically fit them together. Anyway, at least it came out all the faster for it. Unfortunately, I'm up for army service soon (May 3rd to be precise), which is a waste of a good six months of my life. At least I'll be away from my parents, which is almost good enough to make up for it. The problem is that I don't know if I'll even have time to write or if my Inspiration will completely leave me. I hope not, otherwise I'll have to read every chapter of Rosario again just to hope to get it back. Hopefully, I will meet some other RP fanatics and get to play a bit. Not much hope, but it's the greatest one I have.  
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**Today, on this 9/6/2012, I, Soulblazer87, do hereby leave this site, possibly forever.**

**I shall not update this, or any other story.**

**I shall leave them on, however. Should you desire to follow my stories, do so in my new site of residence: www dot yourfanfiction dot com.**


	12. New Arrivals, Old Troubles

_New Arrivals, Old Troubles_

So far Tsukune's day could have gone better. Not only did he have to get up early to go get the finally recovered council members up to speed on what was going on, but he had also been forced to take care of the Headmaster's Togezo pet.

The problem? The pet was hungry.

It would have been amusing, had the pet not developed a taste for him. As in wanted to eat him. It wasn't especially threatening to Tsukune, despite being covered in quilt-like fur and having horns and large teeth, but he wasn't allowed to hurt the damn thing. In fact he actually had to take it for a walk! Darn beast...

"Would you stay still already?" He said to the pet that tried to make a leap at him again. Of course his command was pointedly ignored.

Something caught Tsukune's eye and he saw orange hair at a height that showed its owner's young age. Unfortunately, the person the hair belonged to was surrounded by a group of people that were known perverts to Tsukune. He was too absorbed by that fact, that he didn't notice the Togezo making a leap at him until it was on his forearm. Absent-mindedly, since he had felt much worse pain at Kuyou's 'tender mercies from Hell', he smashed the beast on the head, enhancing his strength with his youki like a Ghoul often did.

With said animal out for the count, he went to take care the animals of another kind.

"Excuse me." He said, his eyes squinted closed and a sickly sweet smile on his face. "You wouldn't happen to be bothering the freshman, would you? Because, you know, that's really rude and against the rules. I would hate to have to do something about it..." His not too subtle threat was reinforced with a burst of youki that seemed to shimmer under his flesh and reeked of something bestial, angry and malicious.

"Oh shit it's Aono!" Called out one of them, a scientist-like lolicon. The cry was very amusing to Tsukune's ears, seeing as how his 'loyal' fangirls had managed to blow way out of proportion every fight he had ever taken part in. Now, barely surviving an orc had been turned into a damn-near epic, almost complete with music and arias.

At least the girls controlled themselves around him enough to not try to outright molest him, though he had received more than a few date invitations. And we should leave his daily mail alone as well.

The girl, an orange-haired girl about a year younger than him with her hair in an anime-like hairdo and knee-high socks almost glared at him. "What did you do that for? I could have taken care of them!" She sounded almost insulted. The bat on her shoulder actually nodded in agreement. However, on the inside she was readying herself to fight, if she had to. The boy looked unbelievably weak, but his youki had been the real deal.

"Of course you would." She made to hit him or retort when she saw he was serious. "But then they would have ended up in the hospital and I would have to leave you to the hands of the Student Police, despite you defending yourself. Not to mention the damn paperwork. It's better to just scare off these guys. Now, I'm Aono Tsukune, current substitute Student Council President." He extended a hand to the shocked orange-haired girl. "Pleased to meet you. Follow me to the entrance ceremony, it is about to begin."

Kokoa couldn't decide between wanting to fight him, wanting to ask him out or just outright biting him to take a taste of that delicious blood she could smell on his arm.

The Togezo suddenly attacked him and she made to call it out, only to see him grab the flying monster by the scuff of its neck, uncaring about his hand being scratched by its quills. "Now, now, we have a new student so you should behave, hear me? If you do that again I'm going to have to teach you your place, got it?" With a touch of his youki, the poor pet whimpered and did its best to look apologetic.

Kokoa however stood shell-shocked. Those words... she shivered. It seems that Nee-sama was right, her sister really _was _in the school!

Thoughts of revenge vanished quickly when the oh-so-delectable scent of Tsukune's blood reached her nostrils. Her eyes scanned his hands for wounds but found them to be instantly healed. It might even be faster than a vampire's healing abilities!

Great, now she wanted to fight even more!

Her eyes stuck on his forearm as he raised it at head level to inspect the healed wound before sighing tiredly. Her nose twitched and her head moved before she could control herself.

The boy was quite surprised when he felt something wet and slick move upwards from his wrist to his fingers. Surprise didn't do justice to what he felt when he saw it was the girl licking the blood off his hand.

Then his mind had the gall to replace the orange hair with silver and the greenish eyes with blood red reptilian ones while the face became much more mature and womanly.

Tsukune coughed and turned away a bit to hide his blush, hoping no one would notice. He failed; the bat noticed and quite easily took it out of context, much to his future annoyance.

Fortunately, the girl soon realized what she had been doing and stopped, though not before exclaiming how tasty the blood was. It was almost funny how suddenly she composed herself, almost like she had someone telling her what to do. "A-Anyway, I'm Shuzen Kokoa. Thank you for your assistance, even though I could have taken care of it on my own. Also, your blood is _really_ tasty, take it as a compliment."

Had Tsukune not gotten used to Moka saying such things, or been near a vampire for six months now, he would have been seriously creeped out. Instead he half-smirked at her. "So I've been told. Now come, follow me or we'll be late."

When Kokoa was led into the large room that was to serve as the Entrance Ceremony grounds, her guide left quickly, saying he would need to prepare for a speech or something. Funny, he didn't seem exactly pleased about it.

However, the lone time didn't last for more than a few seconds as the girl was quickly surrounded by giggling girls, none of which were wearing the school uniform, instead having black and gold clothes.

"Hiii! You came in with Aono-sama! What did he say, what did he say?" Said one of the giggling fangirls

"W-what?" Replied the surprised girl.

"Aono Tsukune-sama! What did he say? Did he save you too? Did he beat someone up? Did we miss him going in action?"

Now the girl only thought one thing, obviously mirrored in her bat's face; _'What... the... hell?'_

"Tsukune-sama is so cute! And he's so nice! He helps everyone! He's so strong too!"

"Yes, yes!" Picked up another. "They say he's strong to beat a horde of orcs on his own!"

"A horde of orcs? That's nothing! He can beat even a group of Vampires!"

The bewildered Kokoa simply didn't know how to react to a fangirl mob. She was just preparing to have her loyal Kou-chan take up one of his usual, larger-than-life weapon forms when the lights began to dim and focus on the pedestal ahead.

It was as if it was a signal and the girls all but blurred out of sight from around the shocked Kokoa, who was left to look around for a seat.

A voice came from the speakers, strong and confident, and eerily familiar to Kokoa. "Greetings everyone, I am Aono Tsukune, Student Council memter. I would like to welcome you all to a wonderful year in Youkai Gakuen and..." The speech began.

Kokoa could only stare after a few seconds. That absolutely ordinary-looking guy... when he reached the point about cooperation and protecting each other... he changed completely. While his stance remained the same and his voice never wavered, his eyes seemed to inflame with passion. It seemed to almost draw Kokoa in, the same as it did to several other students, most of which were of the female persuasion. Unfortunately, for the speaker, not _all_ of them were.

When Tsukune ended his monologue, the whole crowd seemed to come out of a trance, they had rarely seen someone mean things so much.

The Headmaster was seamlessly introduced to the stage where he went to say a few things.

Too bad for Tsukune that is. And it all seemed to go so well until the white robed man decided to end his speech; **"And now, may I present you with our new Student Council President, the man who took the entire festival on his shoulders and even stopped the escaped criminal while protecting everyone. We all know him to have been taken down Kaneshiro Hokuto, a corrupt Council member who tried to destroy our peace and bring destructive war upon us all."**

_'No. Nonononono! Don't do this to me! Not that! NOooooo!'_ Thought Tsukune as his smile had been frozen and his eyes widened due to his fear.

**"Please give a warm applause to Aono Tsukune!"**

The urge to wail in denial was almost overbearing, but he controlled it. Instead he gazed into the now-smirking Headmaster's eyes. Tsukune's eyes seemed to become red and slitted before he controlled himself, much to the amusement of the man the glare was aimed at.

**"Best of luck Aono Tsukune-kun."** Said the Headmaster as he made room for Tsukune.

As the boy passed him, he heard a low whisper reach his ears behind the gritting teeth and frozen smile. "For this... I will kill you in your sleep..." He only chuckled creepily, like always, and presented Tsukune with the embroidered, gray armband that would signify his new position.

Back in the crowd, a group of four girls didn't know whether to be happy about their friend, annoyed at spending even less time around him from now on or break down in laughter at the way he tried to conceal his annoyance. They settled for snickering.

After the ceremony was over, Kokoa found herself walking to a specific class. She had wanted to run there, but there was something in the back of her head. Something about that name, Aono Tsukune. Like she had heard it before, but she couldn't remember. When she reached her destination, she removed such thoughts from her mind. Her target was inside. She could _feel_ it!

The door opened and Kokoa froze in disbelief at the scene.

A little witch had been frozen solid and was being glared by a purple-haired, blue-eyed girl.

A pink-haired girl was hanging off Aono Tsukune's neck, biting and her face betrayed a near-rapture that made Kokoa envious.

Before Kokoa had time to redirect her thoughts about the pink-haired girl... an irate blue-haired girl had smashed a makeshift club out of newspaper on her head.

A childish fight began almost immidiately after, with the group's sole male trying to calm the two girls down.

Kokoa twitched before turning around and closing the door. She took a deep breath and turned to her bat. "This didn't happen, alright?"

The bat only squeaked in answer but she seemed to understand and she turned around again, opening the door for the second time. This time she did sweatdrop.

Everything was back into its proper place and all signs of chaos had vanished. Even the little witch had seemed perfectly fine and the pink-haired girl was talking amiably to the blue-headed one about some new ayashi shoujo manga. The purple-haired one though was missing.

"What the..." She gawked. Shaking her head she focused on her target, trying to fake never having been taken by surprise from the resident insanity. "Hello there Moka! I found you again!"

Said girl turned and greeted the newcomer happily. For a few seconds that is. Right after she seemed to back off against a wall and her eyes betrayed something none of her friends wanted to see on her face. Fear. "K-K-Kokoa... chan..."

The orange-haired girl strode in the class, bat on her shoulder and placed her fists on her hips. "I've been looking everywhere for you. Did you know how long it took for me to find out where you had ran off to?" She kept on marching to the shivering girl when Tsukune suddenly appeared in front of her.

"Kokoa-san, your presence is making my friend uncomfortable. I would appreciate it if you backed off."

Even though she hid it well, the ice in his voice made the girl want to shiver. Instead she snorted derisively, trying to ignore the warning bells in her mind, and her youki sensor. "Hmph, out of my way weakling, I have unfinished business with her."

"No. You will back off and explain to me what that business is about. Now." Well, the 'weakling' certainly did have the confidence to be the Council President.

Unfortunately, Kokoa didn't take well to being ordered around. She threw her hand to the side and the bad flew right over it. "I said move! Let's go Kou-chan!" Then the bat seemed to stretch and swell before turning into a spiked mace with a haft longer than Tsukune was tall and a head almost twice as large as the girl's, pigtails included.

What happened next occured in a split second. No sooner had the girl gripped her weapon when she found two hands with razor sharp nails hovering around her neck and a straight ninja sword made of ice pointing at her stomach. Tsukune was the most shocking difference, not by the way he had changed but by the sheer potency of the demonic energy he was releasing. It washed over the orange haired girl like the flames of hell, it howled at her ears like the feared black winds.

While not the largest amount of youki she had ever experienced, it was by far the most malicious. Only one person she knew had demonic energy anywhere near as vile as that. And _she _wasn't normal by any stretch of the word. No one with two different types of energy in them could ever be considered normal.

"In here, we take care of our own, Shuzen Kokoa." Tsukune's voice seemed to resonate in the girl's ears, almost like it was coming from all around her. Her vision focused on his two furious, orange-red, burning slitted eyes. There was no hint of the kindness she had seen before there. They were not even regular ayashi eyes, they were the eyes of a _demon_!

She slowly relinquished her weapon, letting the bat take its true form again. The claws and sword were removed from her, but the eyes never let her go.

With slow steps, Kokoa backed off and turned away. Just before exiting however she looked back at Moka. "I'll be seeing you often _nee-chan_. With or without them, I will have what is mine!" Then she was gone.

Moka panted on the wall, trying to calm herself. Her Inner voice was quite helpful at that, though she seemed inordinately focused on the way Tsukune had defended her.

Kurumu turned to the shaking girl, curious. "_Nee_-chan? Is that brat really your sister Moka? She has an even worse temper than Inner!"

Leaving said personality's growling aside, Moka turned to her friends. "Y-yeah... Kokoa-chan is my little sister, or half-sister anyway... It... it was really long ago, but we used to live in the same house, before my power was sealed away... We used to do nothing but fight each other then and Kokoa-chan... She never won, not even once. But when I left to search the human world for my Mother, she swore she would chase me down to fight me again..."

"Let me guess, she hasn't stopped doing it?" Asked Kurumu, somewhat understanding of the girl.

"Yeah... When Kokoa-chan sets a target, she will follow it to the end of the world, she's a super-clingy girl."

Mizore suddenly appeared from under a desk. "Do you want me to burry her in ice?" She asked in her usual monotone, maybe with a hint of excitement in her voice, but it was so small they couldn't tell for sure. The ice that covered her hand however made her intentions pretty clear. **(A/N:Crystal clear, hehe, I know bad pun XD)**

"N-No!" Moka said terrified. She had no doubt the ice girl would do it otherwise. "She's my little sister! I... I will do something about it. It's... it's time I faced her. If she can't understand that I can't remove the Rosario on my own, I'll have to make her stop some other way..."

Tsukune's hand touched her arm and she looked sharply at him. "Moka-san, you don't have to pressure yourself. I can get Kuyou-kun to assign a few members to watch her."

"N-No... It's okay, I have to do it... I just have to find a way to face her..." Moka only barely mumbled the last sentence, but she underestimated Mizore's sensitive ears.

The yuki-onna's eyes narrowed and she shot a meaningful look at Kurumu. Rivals or not, they took care of their own.

After homeroom was over, Moka-san quickly vanished, offering only a half-baked excuse about it. Kurumu, Yukari and Mizore needed only five seconds to go after her, leaving Tsukune to follow them after he was done with Nekonome-sensei and the load of things she had tried to heap on him.

The male sighed as he went to his locker to leave his books and notes before following his friends. He trusted Kurumu and Mizore, he knew they had improved as well while they were away, he could see it on the way they walked. Not to mention they were rather strong to begin with. Besides, he had already asked one of the Student Police members to keep an eye out for things, just in case it went wrong.

When he opened his locker however, he found something different than the usual fan-mail he got. It was a bat-shaped note, even colored like the bat Kokoa carried with her. On it, a message: _"After homeroom, meet me at the north-eastern graveyard, alone! I will free my onee-sama from your lecherous plans you damn pervert!"_

He would be wondering who sent it, had he not the sneaking suspicion based on the note's shape. Now, why would Kokoa send him such a threat, he had no idea.

But she did. Because, thanks to Kou-chan telling her his reaction when she tasted his blood, she had remembered something her dark-haired sister had told her back when she was first told where Moka was.

_"Kokoa, we have found where Moka-san is, and you can go meet her soon, in a week or so. She is a student at Youkai Gakuen. Also, while there, I would like you to watch out for someone. He has been near her a lot and causing her all kinds of trouble. Some rumours say he is a terrible womanizer who takes advantage of girls to give himself a harem of female slaves... His name is Aono Tsukune and you should watch out for him..."_

While she hated her nee-chan, she absolutely idolized her onee-sama. So, she resolved to take the pervert that would dare touch her onee-sama's perfect body out of the picture. If beating him also prevented him from stopping her from releasing her beloved sister from her prison, then all the better!

So, she made her plan and went to wait at the north-eastern graveyard.

Unfortunately, she hadn't checked her own locker, which means she missed the note her siter sent to _her_.

It's not only great minds that think alike, but sisters as well. Even half-sisters who need to fight each other.

However, Moka's note didn't say about the north-eastern graveyard, but the northern.

Also, there is the problem about Nekonome keeping Tsukune for much longer than anticipated.

Which means that the two anxious girls, Kokoa and Moka, started moving away from their perching points, wondering if their target didn't get the instructions right.

And as luck would have it, they met. Right between the two graveyards. It was in less than a few seconds that their fight broke out, though it wasn't a fight per se. It was more like Kokoa swinging her huge morningstar around like it weighed less than nothing while Moka tried to feebly flee from her laughing and taunting little sister.

Kurumu and Mizore were ready to interfere, when someone shot out from some bushes and body-tackled the younger vampire away, sending her sprawling due to his immense strength.

Tsukune panted, having ran all the way from his lockers to the graveyard when one of the students said that he saw Moka move in that general direction.

He had to admit though, that Kokoa might be little, but her recovery from his body-tackle was admirable. But he didn't regard her any more than absolutely necessary. Instead, he turned to the just as tired Moka. "Moka-san, are you alright? Did she hurt you?"

Moka blushed quite a bit when she noticed how close he was or how his hands touched her body, trying to see if she was wounded. Willing her voice to work, she tried to calm him down. Unfortunately, her sister, in all her pride and arrogance that vampires were infamous for, chose to yell at the boy.

"You! How dare you! Not only are you touching my onee-sama's body with your filthy hands, you stopped our fight! She was right after all! You are a pervert trying to take advantage of women! Die!"

Tsukune however had had enough.

Had he not saved her from being harassed? And she dared attack him?

Had she not attacked his friends? Repeatedly at that?

Simply put, Tsukune was pissed and his usual patience and kindness were running low that day in general. "Fight? You want a fight? I'll give you a fight!" He said and his youki exploded outwards.

Moka quickly found herself with not a human leaning over her, but an over-protective, annoyed demon.

His drastic transformation actually broke Kokoa's brave charge and her warcry died in her lips as she witnessed Tsukune's battle form. It was a large _thing_ with bony plates and bursting muscles under flayed flesh, with claws that seemed as large as her torso and a tail long enough to spear her from even as far away as she was.

Well, she thought with a detached feeling of dark mirth, his abnormal youki did make sense now.

But, she wasn't a vampire for nothing either. She didn't belong in that proud, feared race just for fun or because of different eyes and hair. No, she was a vampire through and through and that meant that she had every instinct, every hint of bloodlust, every bit of battle fury that any other vampire had. And amongst them, she also had a pride strong enough to prevent her from fleeing any foe, regardless of power.

So, she roared in reply to his challenge as well and called on her youki, her source of otherworldly strength as she brandished her weapon and started her charge again.

She might be a proud vampire, but she was also a little girl. She possessed great strength, but other than that, her physical abilities were limited. She had every instinct of a vampire, but even those could not compare to an enemy possessing not only the same instincts but also far more experience in true, lethal combat.

Kokoa did certainly put up a good fight. However, she wasn't good enough to beat him yet.

With his demonic form almost as strong as a vampire and much tougher than his younger enemy, Tsukune slowly began getting the upper hand.

Blocking a strong claw, Kokoa was forced to split her defence and twist the staff-like haft of her weapon to parry the tail coming from below, lest she got hit by what seemed to be a poisoned barb. However that did not stop her enemy from bringing his _other_ claw from the side and catch her body fully, though thankfully on the palm and not his sharp claws.

The girl was sent rolling on the ground and her weapon left her arm as its large grip made it get caught on a root. She made a roll to get up but only had to recoil away when the ground in front of her was covered in a sickly green substance and it began to melt in a puddle. Looking back, she saw the same substance dripping from the enraged monster's teeth.

Then he had already leapt at her and his maw was less than a foot away from her terrified eyes. A large hand rose in the air and she closed her eyes, waiting for the end.

It never came. Before the stunned and horrified eyes of Moka, Kurumu, Yukari and Mizore, Tsukune seemed to freeze, even before Moka's cry left her throat.

_**"Go ahead! Kill her! Kill the scum! She has attacked you! She has bared her fangs at you! What are you waiting for? If you let her go, she's going to attack you again! She has already hurt your friend! She will hurt her again, don't you care about her? If you let your enemy go, she will return and try to hurt your **_**friends**_** again! Kill her now and be rid of her forever! What are you hesitating for you weakling? Don't you have the guts to take out the one who found it funny to try and kill your friend, smash her pink-covered head to bits? Rip the wench's heart out of her still living body!"**_

In his mind, Tsukune raged a war with his other self, trying to control himself and not kill the girl in front of him. But all he could do was stall and prevent the demon from doing it. He couldn't pull his claws back, he couldn't control himself. He was too weak, he couldn't-

"Tsukune, stop!"

Moka's voice shook him from his own self-hating thoughts, making his Inner Demon roar with annoyance but also shy away from the emotions that sole voice invoked.

"Please, don't kill Kokoa-chan!"

It was fine then. If Moka-san asked him not to do it, then he wouldn't do it.

Tsukune's massive form stepped back and his transformation began dissolving away into nothingness, the stray strings of cloth that once covered him now weaving themselves back into position over his body to conceal his nudity, leaving the girls to see only a few of the scars that crossed his body before even they were hidden. Only a few bruises and cuts could be seen but they healed quickly as well when the Akuchi's powerful healing abilities began working.

He stumbled backwards and almost fell to his back, but Kurumu and Mizore were quick to steady him while Moka went to check on her little sister, finding only a few minor scrapes on her.

Inner Moka looked approvingly over her younger sibling's body. She had done admirably well against an opponent like Tsukune. While he wasn't at her level, he was still very strong. For her younger sister to get away with only these wounds... she was good and she was going to get better.

Tsukune was just as horrified at what he had done as Moka was when he was about to do it. So, with only a few seconds to calm himself and thank the yuki-onna and succubus pair that had helped him, he also went to check on the girl.

Poor Kokoa flinched away from him when he approached her, the visions of her death at his hands very fresh in her mind. Yukari could sympathize and made a mental note to talk to her kohai about it later.

Then, a delicious smell reached Kokoa's nose and her eyes homed in on Tsukune's arm. Knowing the regenerative properties of his blood, and wanting to atone for loosing it as he did and almost killing her, he bit on his flesh and drew a bit of blood, infusing it with his demonic energy, though making sure to hold his demon back this time.

Seeing the offered bloody limb, the girl didn't even think twice; she leapt at the blood to sate her constant thirst, finding the blood to be utter perfection. Moka could see the power infuse her little sister and wounds close without even a scar to show and she gulped. She wanted some too!

"Itadakimasu!" And then she was drinking Tsukune's blood, who was having a very hard time controlling himself after being bit by _two_ vampires.

He just prayed his healing abilities could keep up and regenerate the lost blood before he was exsanguinated.

Luckily for him, Moka was very sensitive and let him go quickly after getting her 'fix'. The nagging voice in her head didn't let go though. So, she waited until Kokoa had her meal, blushing and poking her fingers.

Once he was sure the wounded girl was taken care of, Tsukune turned to his pink-haired friend to see what made her act like that. The answer was of course expected if one thought about it and he sighed.

To Kokoa's great surprise, the unremovable Rosario was easily removed and her beloved, wonderful, great and unbeatable Onee-sama was revealed in all her silver-haired, red-eyed beauty.

"O-o-onee-sama..." Stuttered the girl, gazing at the form of the one she had done so much to meet again, pure adoration in her eyes.

"Hello Kokoa... Now, excuse me for a bit." And then she was biting Tsukune again, tasting his blood, while the male chuckled uncomfortably under the baleful gaze of his three friends and a vampire freshman.

Kokoa would need a lot of work to get used to that little ritual.

Away from the clearing, a white-robed man and a black haired witch with a staff in hand watched the occurings.

"Did you see that Headmaster? Tsukune-san didn't stop until..."

**"Until his friend told him to, yes. It seems he is far more devoted to them than the school. While being devoted to a person rather than an ideal can lead to great feats of strength and ability, it is also the easiest form of dedication to corrupt. It can make or break him. We will need to see, but things seem to be going well for now. So, how has young Kyouko-san going? Did she agree?"**

"Yes. In exchange for news on Tsukune-san and letters, she has agreed to be our liaison in the human world. With a human on our side, we can be better prepared against _them_, not to mention she can help us set up these 'telephone' things. Very useful little inventions. Unfortunately, she also said that we will need a large amount of money to purchase the Academy's land, even though we live on it for so long... These humans have very weird laws. Anyway, she said she's going to work on it. Sir, when should we give Tsukune-san his letter? I thik he is entitled to it..."

**"Of course he is Ruby-san. Of course he is and he should be given it. However, does this seem to be the best time to do it? He has only today been heaped up with a lot of new responcibilities as well as a new dynamic in his group. Let them cool down for a couple of days and then give it to him."**

Ruby looked disapprovingly to her master. "I swear you're piling things on him on purpose..."

Of course, all she received was a dark, ominous chuckle as he walked away, sparing her only a weird look from his glowing eyes and a smirk.

The witch shuddered. So many months next to him and he could still make her feel like nothing more than a newborn babe with just a look.

Truly, Dark Lords were frightful beings and she was glad he didn't wish her ill.

**A/N: Yes, Yesss! Feed her! Feed my Lady Inspiration! Feed heeer!**

**Well, bouts of insanity that would give Freud a run for his money aside, thank you all so very much for reviewing! I promise to keep writing, even if I have to do it on paper while I'm in the army. When I'll get myself a computer, I'm going to **_**melt**_** that keyboard!**

**Anyway, as always, please read and review. I know I've been keeping things a bit light these past few chapters, but truth be told, I wanted to add a bit of comedy inside. Once things start getting dark again, I'll be adjusting it to the GRIMDARK (Dungeons The Dragoning pun by the way) style I used before.**

**Also, I've got an Omake for this chapter.**

**OMAKE - OUTTAKE THEATER:**

Kokoa glared at the male in front of her as she remembered _her_ words, her older sister's words, back when she had been told where Moka was, though in her excitement she had forgotten the rest until now. _"Kokoa-chan, we have found where Moka-san is, and you can go meet her soon, in a week or so. She is a student at Youkai Gakuen. Also, while there, I would like you to watch out for someone. He has been near her a lot and causing her all kinds of trouble. Some rumours say he is a terrible womanizer who takes advantage of girls to give himself a harem of female slaves... His name is Aono Tsukune and you should watch out for him..."_ Had said her dark-haired elder sister.

"A pervert? Are you a pervert?"

Tsukune blinked at the unrelated question. "Uhh... no?" He asked curious.

Too bad for him however, the morningstar transformed back to its bat form and squeaked something in Kokoa's ear, who seemed to become more and more incessed with each squeak. "You... You are a pervert! Kou-chan... Kou-chan saw you! When I drank your blood!"

"What? The bat told you? And what about my blood, you liked it off my hands!"

"No excuses! I won't forgive perverts and especially those who go after my onee-sama! Die!"

She would have made good on her threat too, had she not been frozen solid by a cube of ice and having several thick vines wrapping around her arms and torso.

The reason? Two very annoyed girls.

"Why Tsukune, why? Why go to her and not me?" Wailed Kurumu. "I'm much more womanly than her! Or is it you like children? I can transform into one if you want!"

"Stop it boob-lady. We have to show Tsukune the error of his way and how to properly appreciate a woman with a proper body, like mine. Now, I must educate my future husband." And that was Mizore, making poor Tsukune sputter, Kurumu look at her before nodding and annoying Moka and Yukari.

"What the hell are you two talking about? Cried out a very surprised Tsukune. He was getting especially worried when the two girls seemed to walk towards him with identical motions.

"Well, if you have gone the wrong way..." Began Kurumu.

"... we'll just have to bring you back." And finished Mizore.

Next thing he knew, Tsukune was being tackled to the ground and his clothes were being hastily removed by the two excited girls. Movement became rather hard with the two soft bodies pressed on him and speech was all but impossible due what a certain succubus was doing to his mouth.

The chaos was only made worse when Moka jumped in as well, claiming to try and free Tsukune, though her blush would leave little doubt as to her real intentions.

Yukari would have jumped in too, had she not fainted with a huge nosebleed, leaving poor Kokoa to feel like a voyeur. She couldn't even feel any of her usual strength, she had been paralyzed at the sheer horror of what was happening.

The orange-haired vampiress quickly joined the witch in dream land when a Rosario was removed, hair turned to silver and eyes turned reptilian and red but the hungry look remained the same.

A few days later, Shuzen Kokoa was found outside her family's mansion, mumbling incoherencies about perverts, sisters and sex. Sex was repeated very often too. It took her near a decade and several psychologists to get over the event.

**END  
**

* * *

**Today, on this 9/6/2012, I, Soulblazer87, do hereby leave this site, possibly forever.**

**I shall not update this, or any other story.**

**I shall leave them on, however. Should you desire to follow my stories, do so in my new site of residence: www dot yourfanfiction dot com.**


	13. Show Of Strength

_Show Of Strength_

Shuzen Kokoa was walking towards the Academy, coming from her room at the girl's dormitories, deep in thought. She was thinking not only about her sister as she usually did, but also that weird male, Aono Tsukune.

Her sister was a great, beautiful vampire, filled with the grace and talent that come along once in a billion. She was perfection, she was her penultimate goal...

So why did she stick around a letcherous pervert like Tsukune?

And he had the gall to deny his perversions! How dare he!

It's obvious that he is a pervert. After all, what normal guy would manage to get himself surrounded by a succubus, a yuki-onna and a vampire of her onee-sama's caliber and manage to not have them killing each other? And that was without taking all these fangirls into account.

All he had going for him was his blood! Admittedly it was damn good tasting blood, but that's all he had. Well, that and being able to transform into an insanely strong 8feet tall monstrocity with claws about as large as her, but she tried to ignore that part.

The point was, she didn't understand why someone, anyone,would like that guy!

Especially her wonderful older sister!

As if the humiliation of loosing all her power, grace and talent to a damnable seal and being forced to live with _pink_ hair instead of her own lustrious, glorious silver... as if that wasn't enough, Kokoa couldn't understand why she would do _that_.

With _that_ being her greeting that Aono guy with a hug and an 'itadakimasu' before sinking her fangs into his neck.

"I want a hug too..." Her whisper was like a whine and her poor pet bat tried to comfort her by hugging her cheek. She nodded thankfully to the bat before turning to her sister and sighing sadly.

Then Kokoa's world was sent askew. The blue-haired succubus, Kurono Kurumu she had heard her name was, body-tackled her sister away from Tsukune and hugged the boy to her absurdly large cleavage as if to comfort him.

"Moka! How dare you suck my Tsukune's blood first thing in the morning! Have you no shame!"

_'Look who's talking about shame!'_ Wailed Kokoa, unwittingly mimicking Tsukune's thoughts who at the moment was trying to break free of the unusually strong grip of the succubus.

Then Kokoa smirked as she saw her sister get up and growl at the succubus. Finally, her sister's real power was going to reveal itself! She was going to beat that upstart weakling and show her the true horror that was a Vampire's strength! She was going to...

"Kurumu-chaaan!" Moka whined and proceeded to start one of the group's now patented childish brawls.

Kokoa couldn't escape the facefault. At least the Aono guy seemed to at least try to break them up. Humph, he must be a good actor, that must be how he snagged her sister.

The fight was abruptly broken by a pair of ice kunai being launched from a tree, where the yuki-onna could be seen shyly peeking out. "Cool it you two, it's too early in the morning and you're embarassing my future husband."

A pair of indignant cries of _"Mizore-chan, that hurt!"_ and _"Your husband? He's _my_ Destined One!"_ broke out from the vampire and succubus respectively before the childish fight started again.

Tsukune sighed again before trying to break them up, but Kokoa could see none of last day's vigor or power in his motions.

Which, in her young mind, meant that he wasn't trying all that hard to break them up and was just using them to feed his sick perversions.

Finally having had enough she huffed and turned away, leaving behind a group of four people curiously looking at her and wondering why she was that upset.

Tsukune and Inner Moka were the only ones that had any inkling as to why that was so. From what little they had seen, Kokoa idolized her older sister, but not Moka. That meant that Kokoa only believed in Moka's 'perfection', which blinded her to her _im_perfections. Therefore, when presented with those same imperfections, she couldn't help but be infuriated.

They didn't realize it was something more than that; Kokoa had set Moka as her 'ideal' vampiric existence, everything she could ever hope to be. To see her acting in such a way, so different from the vampiric ideal she had thought her to be, shook the young girl's very foundations.

Simply put, the girl had too high expectations and couldn't take it when they weren't met. She couldn't understand how her sister could be so carefree and naive, not when she believed that she should be focused and controlled at all times. So, she chose to hate, rather than correct her views.

Vampiric Pride is a terrible thing to behold.

But the little girl didn't care about that, in fact she thought it was perfectly normal to feel that way. Why, it was that pervert Aono's fault that her wonderful sister had been reduced to a pink-haired naive fool.

Which means that the logical thing to do would be separating those two. To do that, the first thing she would have to do was observer her prey in its natural environment. Which meant following a disgruntled Tsukune throughout all his after-homeroom proceedures. And, after seeing how much time he had spent talking with people about non-sensical things, she could sympathize with his horror at having to do that every day for the rest of his school life.

Then things began to look up when he started heading back to the Academy's main buildings rather than his dorm, which meant he did more things, things that would be in the company of Moka and the others. Finally, the chance she was waiting for! The chance to find the group's weak spot and drive them apart, to save her sister from the embarassment she must definitely be feeling at being lumped together with those lesser monsters!

The vampire girl waited next to the door, waiting for her pet bat to come from its reconaissanse mission; namely what kind of place it was. Would be _so_ uncool to enter a room and not even know what was going on inside. She smirked widely when her Kou-chan flapped next to her head and began screeching the answer.

"Eh? Newspaper Club? You're telling me that Nee-chan is in a _newspaper_ club of all things? And even that Aono guy?"

More screeching.

"Well, then time to meet this 'newspaper club' that has such powerful members. It must have some sort of secret, there's no way to explain it!"

Tsukune's cousin would have loved to meet the girl, that's for sure.

And so, Kokoa took a deep breath and opened the door... To find the Newspaper Club members sprawled over their desks, mumbling things about how nice it felt to have their own classroom or how tired they were.

"Don't you guys even work?" The indignant cry made it out of her before she had time to control herself.

Kurumu looked at her strangely as she sat up from her place; lying unashamedly on the club table. "Ah, it's you Kokoa-san. What do you want this time? If you attack us again, I'm really going to punish you."

Her original goal forgotten at the insult that a lesser youkai could punish her, Kokoa's temper exploded. "Punish _me_? As if you can you weakling!"

"Weakling? I'll show you who's weak!" Said Kurumu, infuriated at being insulted in front of her Destined One. Especially by that brat.

All too eager to take the girl up on her offer, and vent some much needed frustration, Koka threw her right hand to the side, calling on her trusty bat to take its hammer form...

Only for Tsukune to appear between the two girls to stop them. "Would you stop it!"

Unfortunately, the hammer was in the air and with the distraction, Kokoa missed grabbing it, with the unfortunate yet comedic side effect of having it fall on her.

The sight made Kurumu break down in laughter while Moka fussed over her little sister.

"Oh god, Kokoa-chan! Are you alright?" The pink-haired girl tried to bring her sister back to the world of the conscious, more than a bit weirded out by the way Kokoa looked dazzedly at her and giggled something about 'onee-sama'. Wanting to make sure nothing was wrong with the girl, she turned to her male friend. "Tsukune-san, can't you do anything about it?"

Said boy sighed and pulled his sleeve up, revealing his right forearm. A moment of hard concentration after that and his left hand's pointer had turned into a long claw. It was a simple thing to make a small cut and bring his forearm in front the delirious girl so she could feed on his blood.

"Ahh... Tsukune-san's blood... I want it too..." Whined Moka with a look normally reserved for addicts having their fix hovering in front of their eyes yet too far away to take it.

"I still don't get what's so good about Tsukune's blood though..." Said Kurumu, looking at the vampire girl curiously. "I mean, I get it, you like it, but isn't it a bit much, even for you? I mean even Inner reacted rather weird to it... Hell, even Mizore said she wouldn't mind drinking it again... Which is kinda freaky since she _isn't_ a vampire..."

Once the red-headed girl was back into action, and trying to get her sister to stop fussing over her, Tsukune turned to Kurumu. "Well, it's not just the taste. I did some tests with Ruby-san and the Exorcist. I can pass on a hint of my monster powers through my blood, but unlike most monsters this one doesn't have negative effects. On the other hand, the 'boost' doesn't last for more than a few seconds. It's probably because when my blood's power is activated, it burns away, loosing all its youki. We tested it and found that regardless of how much you drink, you can only have a small amount available to burn and it will last for a whole day. At least that way I can help you if you're wounded."

"Well it does sound rather useful, but I don't think I'm into the whole 'blood drinking' thing myself. If _you_ want to drink _me _up though, I'm all for it!" She said, quickly recovering and proceeding to make him blush.

"I don't get it." Said Kokoa from the ground, having sat up with her sister's help. "What kind of monster are you? I know the boob-monster's a succubus, nee-chan's a vampire," Though she couldn't help but consider how much of a failure as a vampire she was in that form, a stark opposite from her true form. "and there's also a yuki-onna and a witch, but what are _you_?" Her voice was filled with suspicion that was not allayed in the slightest at the uncomfortable look that came over the group's faces.

And who could blame them? While more than the absolutely necessary number of people knew about Tsukune's powers, it was still a pretty well-kept secret in the school. Akuchi's were generally disliked and distrusted, believed to be mere bloodthirsty berserkers, being little more than demons in mortal flesh. It was certainly not an unjustified notion since many, if not most, Akuchi succumbed to their Inner Demons, but they were by far not the rule. In fact, it was the rejection itself that disheartened most and led them to their Fall. Unfortunately, with the rumours and beliefs repeatedly confirmed, even those who had not fallen were regarded as walking bombs and ostracized. Though there had not been an official Akuchi sighting in several hundred years, neither was willing to risk Tsukune being exposed, for fear of mass fear and hysteria. After all, some would say, a demonblooded draws power from demons, wouldn't that mean that they would be seeking a way to enhance their powers by shattering the seal that kept the Demons at bay? As foolish a notion as it were, more than a few would believe it and that alone would cause great chaos.

However, Kokoa didn't know that, so instead she took it the wrong way. She was ready to begin her accusations again when Yukari burst into the classroom, panting.

"Terrible news everyone! Some criminals have broken into the school! There have already been three students missing!"

To the group's surprise, Tsukune only nodded solemnly. "I know. The Headmaster told me. I've already notified Kuyou and his people are all searching for them. The announcement should come any second now."

Indeed it happened almost as if he had called. A woman's voice, who Tsukune and his friends recognized as Ruby, blared from various speakers. "Warning, warning. Unknown dangerous elements have broken into the school's grounds. They are armed, dangerous and already known murderers. All students are warned to avoid meeting unfamiliar people and remain in constant company of close friends and classmates. Do not leave the buildings for any reason. I repeat; stay in the buildings and do not pursue the criminals."

"Tsukune-san..." Said Moka, fearing that Tsukune could be called to assisst the Police, him being a Council member and a powerful Ayashi in his own right. But when she turned to him, she gawked.

Kurumu had already grabbed the poor boy and smothered him in her chest. "Tsukune will protect me, I'm sure!"

That was stopped rather quickly when Mizore, who came from a ventilation shaft above them, threw a kunai at the succubus without warning or even greeting. "Why would he protect you? I am the future mother of his children." Then promptly making a chain made out of ice links complete with an icy weight on one end, she wrapped the makeshift kusari-gama around the boy's torso and began to lift him up. "Speaking of children come, my future husband. Our bed is ready."

The chain was cut as Kurumu lashed out with her dagger-esque nails and grabbed her Destined One. "As if! Tsukune would rather eat my home-made cookies! Right Tsukune? And there's so many ways to do it too, with whipped cream, chocolate," A low whisper in his ear. "Off my body..."

Hearing that, the poor boy turned beet red as his imagination was re-ignited. Truthfully though, who wouldn't?

Seeing him in danger of being 'corrupted' by the succubus' wiles, Yukari brandished her wand, making a basin hit Kurumu on the head. "Step away from Tsukune-san~desu! Only Moka-san may have him and then invite me to their shared bed!"

Kokoa couldn't really be blamed for begining to blush around these people. They were all sex-crazed! Either that Aono-guy was far better at corrupting them than she thought... or _they_ were the ones that corrupted _him_! Her attention however was quickly diverted at Moka's scrunched up face. Misreading the emotions there to be a desire to uncover the criminals, she took her sister by the hand. "Come on nee-chan, if you stay here, your brain will rot!"

Surprised by that, Moka could only follow, leaving Tsukune behind in the 'tender mercies' of three rather hormonal girls.

Not that their playing lasted much after Moka left. They mostly did it for teasing and they all knew it, well except a blushing Tsukune. The poor boy was left to wonder how these three girls went from teasing to casually talking in under a second flat.

Walking down a corridor, Kokoa looked at her sister critically. "So what _do_ you guys do over in that club anyway?"

"W-well... we just write news of the school usually... though most of the time we take part in the troubles and are forced to solve them..." Answered Moka, wondering about the sudden interest. Maybe her little sister wanted to join them? Could it mean that she and Kokoa-chan could have fun without worrying about her being attacked by her larger-than-life weapons?

Fat chance. "So you act like detectives or something? That's great! We can go capture the criminals!" She said happily. Finally, a chance to show her sister who she really was, remind her of the vampire she really was and tear her away from those pathetic weaklings!

"Kokoa-chan, I don't think that's a good idea..." Said Moka hesitantly. She couldn't help it; she was no fighter. And without Tsukune to release the fighter _in_ her, then she would be unable to do anything...

"Eh, no worries, I'm here so it's alright." Said the ever-confident Kokoa, even though she had been badly beaten a day ago. "Besides, we'll just leave after finding the clues or something. Now come on, let's go, we need to find their lair!"

Apparently, the only knowledge Kokoa had about crimes and criminals was that bad guys have a lair that the good guys go to beat them.

She was about to be educated on the problems such assumptions create in a very harsh fashion.

Despite her small stature and young age however, Kokoa had a sharp mind, if one lacking a bit in the wisdom department. So, she dragged her older sister around campus, asking and looking and taking notes about where the attacks had happened. Then, after consulting a map of the school, conveniently taken from Ruby with a small white lie, she took a marker and circled the one location she was sure the culprits were.

"There! The attacks occured in approximately equal distance from that place. It's abandoned so there's no one in, making it an ideal hideout! Let's go nee-chan!"

And they were off, leaving the map on Ruby's office, there for the witch to find it.

It was only luck that made Yukari check her Know-Know-kun charms and see how Moka's paper began slowly turning darker and darker.

Fearing the worst, that Moka would be in danger, Tsukune, Kurumu, Yukari and Mizore quickly launched a search and rescue quest, asking everyone about the girl's location. Everyone said the same; Moka had been with Kokoa.

"That brat!" Raged Kurumu. "I can't believe it! She had the gall to come to _us_ and take Moka so she could try to kill her again! Getting beaten up once wasn't enough for her? And with the criminals around, it could get worse!"

"Calm down Kurumu-chan." Said Tsukune. "First we should go to Ruby, Kuyou always has someone next to her for quick message transmission." He would know; he was the one that suggested such a tactic.

The group quickly made its way to Ruby's office, where they found the witch's desk empty but with a large map sprawled over it, a certain point in the Academy grounds marked with a red marker and the words 'Bad Guy Hideout!' under it.

Tsukune and the girls looked at each other carefully. "You don't think?"

"That idiot!" Mount Kurumu exploded again, her fiery temper taking over her mouth. "Is she stupid or what? Moka can't fight! Without you there, she can't even defend herself properly! And she is a little brat, even though she is a vampire. Against a trained killer, she's going to get slaightered! We need to save them!"

Tsukune wasted only enough time to memorize the map before turning to his friends. "You're right, let's go Kurumu, Mizore. We need to hurry."

"Hey, what about me~desu?" Cried out the little witch, hurt that they might be forgetting her.

"Yukari-chan..." Said Tsukune, turning to her and crouching down to her level. "You need to stay here and tell Ruby-san and Kuyou where to find us. Also, you're the only one with Know-know-kun. With Ruby-san you'll be able to follow us much better, not to mention the two of you can cast much more powerful spells than you alone. That place is an underground maze, I've got a map or two of it stored in the council room, but other than that, if we have to fight, it will be too close. You won't have time to cast your magic. With Ruby-san it would be different, but someone has to be here to tell her. It's also a very important job. Now, remember; after she comes, take her to the council's meeting room. I'll have a map of that place on the table. Take it and come with help, probably a few doctors too."

The little witch nodded understanding. She did understand her importance, but that didn't mean she liked having to stay back. With Ruby-san to help her though, she'd be much better help than alone, that much she knew.

Leaving the little girl behind them, Kurumu and Mizore ran next to Tsukune. When he took the wrong turn to a dead end in a corridor they looked rather surprised. "Tsukune, where are you going? That's the wrong way..." Said Kurumu.

The boy chukled. "Not really. There's a shortcut only Council and Police members can use. You're with me now though, so it's alright." At a wave of his hand a part of the wall was sucked in and moved to the side, opening a way into a large, dark corridor lined with torches. Mizore looked approvingly as well as almost as if in reaction to a challenge. She'd have to learn to open them as well! Think of all the nice places to sta-, err follo-, err _watch over_ Tsukune.

Two girls and a boy quickly went into the corridor, heading for the only place with full maps of the place, even the hidden areas.

In another part of the school, Koka and Moka walked around the underground maze of the abandoned part of the campus, the darkness, stale stench of mold and cold surrounding them.

The youngest was chatting up the eldest, reminding her about the times they had fought in the past and how lonely it had become since she left, how boring it was. The eldest however... was creeped. She couldn't help it; it was a crepy place and this time they weren't waiting for the bad guys to come to them, they were going right into their lair!

"Anyway, and then you... Wait did you hear that?" Said the little girl suddenly, turning back where they came from. "I'm sure I heard something... Alright, sis, here!" She said and had her bat turn into a baseball bat, complete with spikes and nails. "Use Kou-chan, I can still fight even without him."

"Eeeh? Me? W-w-why?"

"Come _on_ nee-chan! You're a vampire, act the part! Besides, with your real personality being sealed, you can't fight like you used to. Don't worry, I'll give you the openings, just smash as hard as you can!"

"A-Alright..." She was not convinced, but she still took up the offereed weapon and hid behind a pillar, ready to smash her weapon on whoever came from there.

No one did; they were behind them.

Kokoa's internal youki radar warned of that fact approximately less than a quarter of a second before a fist as large as her smashed on her torso and threw her on a wall.

"Kokoa-chan!" Screamed Moka as she let the weapon go and went to her little sister, a little sister that had blood dripping from one side of her mouth and probably also had more than a couple broken ribs.

"I-Idiot..." Said the wounded girl. "W-why did you drop Kou-chan?"

It didn't make sense to Moka until she realized that the enemy was undefeated and lurking over her. Turning to see it, she gulped.

It was a minotaur. An extremely large specimen too. It towered over her so much that it had to lean forward to move and even then its horns only barely didn't scrape the ceiling. At least now she knew why they had been found out that fast; minotaurs were magically gifted in wandering around labyrinths and mazes, despite their otherwise highly reduced mental abilities.

As if that wasn't bad enough, the monster had friends. Two shadowy figures flanked it, the smiles on their faces being much less than friendly.

"Well, well, what do we have here, a pair of rats? They seem tasty too." The grin while one of them said it left little doubt that he meant it literally. "Luckily, we need one of them. Un-luckily, we don't need the other. So, what are we going to do?"

Moka looked at her sister and then at the attackers. As things were, they couldn't win. Tsukune wasn't there to remove her Rosario and Kokoa was wounded. She couldn't fight. Holding back her tears she got up and bowed her head. "P-Please... t-t-take Kokoa-chan as your prisoner... Just d-d-don't hurt her..."

From her place on the ground, the girl in question looked on stunned and more than a bit hurt. Her sister was giving her away to them? Why would she do that? Why would she betray her like that?

"Oh, aren't you the brave one. But no. We're taking you, you seem much more like the girl to listen to our commands. Tauros... you may eat the other one." Replied the leader, making the minotaur grin maliciously and Moka get between the monster and its food.

"No! Please! D-don't eat her! E-Eat me, just spare Kokoa-chan! Please, spare my sister!"

Then Kokoa's world broke to pieces. Moka, her sister but not onee-sama, wasn't betraying her by handing her over, but trying to protect her. She was willing to let herself get eaten just to give her a chance to survive, buy some time for someone to come for them.

"Hehehe, who do you think we are girl? We don't give a crap. Now go to sleep!" And then Moka's world turned black as she was struck on the back of her head, knocking her out cold.

Kokoa watched in horror as her sister fell like a sack of potatoes and was dragged away, leaving her with the minotaur licking his chops.

"N-no way... this is how I die? I... I don't want to die!" Her courage gone, Kokoa closed her eyes as she waited for the end.

A pair of brown eyes closed in focus and there was the soft sound of metal cracking. When they snapped open, they were blood red and youki burst from the wielder.

A step became a leap and, as strength was increased tremendously, the walker became a blur.

A blur that blazed in front of the minotaur, picking up its prey as it ran.

Realizing that something was wrong, especially considering how the new youki was just like her onee-sama's, Kokoa opened her eyes...

To see herself carried in the arms of the most unexpected person; Aono Tsukune. An Aono Tsukune with blood-red eyes, elongated fangs and a youki that was terribly familiar to the little girl. A vampire's youki.

"Rangh... RAAARGH!" Howled the minotaur, more than a bit annoyed at its meal being stolen and charged the calm boy in front of him.

And why shouldn't he be calm? His opponent might be a minotaur, but his best friend was a Super Vampire and his trainer had been a four-tailed Youko. Not to mention the high he was on from accessing the vampiric power that was sealed away by the seal. It really helped put things into perspective. A perspective that let him know just how superior he was to the monster. Tsukune turned his reptilian eyes to the charging beast and snarled, an instinctive challenge at his attacker. He made the first step to attack, but before he could charge back, two shapes came from the minotaur's sides and attacked, one high and the other low.

"Gee Tsukune, you should let us fight sometimes too."

"You're not the only one who trained the last six months."

Mizore and Kurumu stood battle-ready, their true forms revealed, on the left and right of a quite surprised Tsukune. He knew he should stop being surprised, but he couldn't be really blamed about it now, could he?

"So, _partner_," Said the succubus. "how do we do it?"

"Hmm... I propose _that_." Replied the yuki-onna.

"My feelings exactly! Let's go!"

Then both of them charged the minotaur, their paths making them come so close that their limbs were tangled. Then they began attacking.

A left swipe followed by a kick followed by a punch, followed by another kick and then a trip before coming in for another swipe.

It was relentless, constant and so _fast_. Kurumu was quick to say it.

"Well, he's slow isn't he Mizore?"

"That or we trained at much higher speeds. What with Gin being a werewolf and all."

"True, true..." They were discussing with a calm as if they were talking about the weather or what colors they liked or what kind of music they listened. "Now, let's go for the grand finale!"

Before Tsukune's and Kokoa's stunned eyes, the two very different girls adopted a near identical stance and spoke in stereo. Kokoa could swear that even their heartbeats were the same.

"Black and White Duet; Frozen Moon Tango!"

With motions reminiscent of the well-known dance style, Kurumu and Mizore proceeded to lay the pain on the minotaur.

Kicks deceptively gentle battered his form and claws that seemed far slower than they really were left wide gouges on its torso. There was even a moon covered in mystical ice hovering above them, Kurumu's illusion magic Tsukune knew.

In some part of his mind, the part of him that held all his understanding of combat, he couldn't help but think that their dance was not made for two, but for _three_.

Still, even to Kokoa's eyes it was breathtaking. Being who she was, she didn't need a demonic half to tell her how to fight, her own combat instincts were sharp and her talent in the field of combat was so great she didn't need a teacher in order to learn how to do it. So, that is why she could see something very scary; either of the two could have beaten the minotaur on their own, with not nearly as much trouble as one might expect.

The fact that they, despite being 'low ranked Ayashi' could beat someone that even her would have trouble fighting... it made the little girl realize just how small she was in the grand scheme of things. Of course, it also made her realize that if these two, a succubus and a yuki-onna, could fight on par with a minotaur... then how much potential did _she_ have?

So lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice Tsukune putting her down until his arm was offered along with his blood. As much as the vampire girl hated to do it, she bit into the arm and drew upon the natural regenerative properties it had, mending her broken bones.

"So, who's the weakling, chibi?" Snarked Kurumu playfully at the girl.

"We might not have strong bodies, but we weren't going to let Tsukune get so far ahead of us. We had to try and get stronger too. Six months. For six months, Gin-senpai trained us. We might be weaker Ayashi, but we're stronger fighters. We have something to fight for." It was stated factually by Mizore, who, like her partner, had leaned over the girl, looking her in the eyes. She took the glare with a stride, mostly because she could see the beginings of an apology somewhere in there.

"You're not just good fighters, Mizore-chan, Kurumu-chan, you're also great people. But you should have left me to do the fighting, I don't want you to be in danger..."

"We know." Reassured him Kurumu, her head on the crook of his neck as her body was pressed on his back. "We know, but we're proud too. Can't have you doing _all_ the work now." Then her voice turned low and husky, a whisper calling to his most carnal instincts. "You know... there's more to our duets than _just_ combat..." She blew hot air to the junction of his neck and secretly cheered at the way he shivered, feeling his body temperature skyrocket. "Something to think about." And then she sauntered off, knowing his eyes were glued on her swaying form, high-fiving the other part of her duet.

Tsukune gulped. As much as he might try to deny it, he was extremely attracted to the girls, and who wouldn't to tell the truth. Each and everyone of them was kind, caring, fun to be around and very beautiful. Any man would be happy to have one of them by his side. Any _man_ he corrected himself. Not a _half_-man like himself, not a cursed existence like his own. So why, why did it hurt him so much to have to push them back, to have to let go of them? Why was it that the mere thought of them being in another's arms brought such unholy rage to him that he could feel even his Inner Demon become silent in a fury much greater than its own?

With an admirable force of will, something gained after many fights with his own demons, Tsukune tore his thoughts away from those thoughts. He was nothing but their guardian, their friend, the one to protect them when all else would fail. He was not who they were meant to be with. He could not bring that burden upon them. He could not risk being with any of them as more than just friends, not when he could loose control and hurt them. He couldn't allow that to happen. He wouldn't.

So, he took his hand from Kokoa, knowing his blood wouldn't heal her fully but also using that as an excuse. He needed to vent some steam and he knew that the intruders were more than one, the Headmaster had told him so. They would do.

"Kurumu-chan, Mizore-chan, take care of Kokoa. I'll find Moka and deal with the other intruders."

"W-wait!" Said Kokoa. "When.. when you find them... I want you to _kill_ them! They... they took my sister away when she tried to defend me. They hit her from behind like cowards!"

She couldn't see it, but his eyes glowed red when Tsukune heard that Moka was hit. His voice was gravely and Kokoa couldn't help but smirk as she realzed just what she had released against those who hurt her sister. "Done."

With that he began walking down a passage, leaving Kurumu and Mizore to look sadly towards the way he went before turning to Kokoa. The little girl couldn't understand what he was, what he had to go through. That's why they couldn't blame her for making things worse than they already were. They would have to explain to her at some point, but just _how_ they would get on doing that, they had no idea.

Walking down the dark corridors, Tsukune glared at the darkness, his instincts strung high. He felt like something was watching him, but he couldn't pinpoint where.

Actually, something _was_ watching him, two somethings. A pink-haired girl and a man grinning like a lunatic as he licked his knives with too much intent.

"Tsukune-san..."

"Oh, so that's his name?" Came the lunatic's voice. "Don't worry, it'll be over soon. The boss is very strong. Exactly as strong as his enemies, y'see. That's why he's so scary. He can just _up_ and take all your powers!" He chukled, perhaps enjoying the feeling of an unknown horror he had set upon the girl.

But she wasn't making that face of terror because of not knowing what the 'boss' was, she had received enough clues for her Inner self to figure it out. And that's _exactly_ why she was so terrified. If that guy took on Tsukune's form, he would also take on all his powers. And _all_ his instincts.

Ghoul blood-thirst and Demonic personality included in one, family-sized, package.

"Oh no, please! Y-your boss is a Doppelganger, right?" She said, gaining some small sense of victory the way the other guy looked surprised. "Then please stop him! Whatever he does, he must not take Tsukune-san's form! Believe me, if he does it, something terrible is going to happen!"

"Something terrible you say? Then all the better!" The insane, lop-sided grin made the girl realize that these guys were probably not just murderers, but also quite insane. "The boss is going to become even stronger and I'll be able to make even more connections with my babies!" He said, waving his knives around wildly. "Now shut up! I want to see what's happening! Look, they're ready to meet!"

And through the shikigami's projected imaging, Moka saw the group's boss walking towards an unwitting Tsukune. She only whispered her friend's name, hoping that her fears wouldn't be realized.

The warrior sealed within her, the undefeatable Super Vampire, however wasn't quite satisfied with praying. Unlike her pink-haired counterpart, she wasn't content on waiting. So, using the rosary as a communication device, she began to speak with her container, though she herself watched with no small amount of dislike at the scene. One could even say she felt some form of sadness or horror at what was about to happen, but she would vigorously, and possibly violently as well, deny it.

Because she knew what was going to happen. Both sides of Moka saw Tsukune charge the outlaw's boss as he came from the shadows, not waiting for even a second once he realized that the shape in front of him wasn't Moka. So, he moved with great speed and grabbed the newcomer by the throat, raised him in the air and slammed him on the wall, making him cough.

Moka couldn't hear what the boss said, but Tsukune could and he was quite surprised.

"Whoah, you're strong and fast. Nice. I want to be _just_ like you!" With that, the man grabbed Tsukune's hand and his own face, youki-born light erupting around them, temporarily blinding Tsukune.

When the light died down... there was a second Tsukune there, wearing the man's clothes. "Well... hehe... I was wrong... you're much, much stronger than what I... W-wha... what's... No! No! NO! STOP! Make it stop! NOO! MY! MY HEAD! A-AR**-**_GH-_**RAAARGH!"**

And before three very surprised and two very fearful sets of eyes, the second Tsukune began mutating before their very eyes, his form exploding with muscle and sharp bones, his vile youki making the entire underground maze shake with power and malice. It roared and not one of them could see even a shred of intellect behind its blood-red eyes.

Inner Moka decided they had to act. _"Omote! We have to help Tsukune! Now!"_

But her Outer shell just shrinked away from the image, her hands on her head, shaking with fear. _"How? How can we help him? He's not here to free us! I... There's nothing I can do!"_

The red-eyed part of herself snarled, making her shiver. _"Are you saying we should leave him to die? Or become like that? Get up Omote! Fight!"_

The whisper came from Moka's lips unbidden, unable to even communicate with her other side mentally and having to do so verbally. "But I'm not like you Omote... I.. I can't fight... I'm not strong, or fast and I don't even know _how_ to do it... I'm weak..."

_"SILENCE! You're me, aren't you? Even though I'm sealed, you have my body! Use it! You have my youki! My blood! My Pride! Call it out! Feel the power in your own blood and free it! The power in _Tsukune_'s blood you drank today!"_ She roared at her outer self, shocking her with the power within her. _"I'll tell you what to do, but your instincts are better guides in fighting than any advice. Bring them out, the combat fury that burns within you! Unleash it! Fight Omote! For once in your life, FIGHT!"_

Taken aback by the force and urgency in the silver-haired woman's voice Moka tried to do it. She didn't believe she could do it though. She wasn't as beautiful, or as graceful, or as powerful as her Inner form. She was nowhere near as confident. She was just Moka, _Outer_ Moka, she was pretty but not beautiful, she was smart but not a genius. But, for the sake of her friend, she had to do it. So she did, she focused hard into the raw power that coursed in her veins.

It came so faint at first, so faint she would have missed it and given up had it not been for the constant encouragement by her Inner self. But the call came stronger and stronger, a warmth, a source of power that flowed within every bit of herself, giving life and strength to her body.

Another pulse of power. This one different, but also similar, no it was _familiar_. She could feel it. It pooled around the center of her body, her stomach, awaiting the release of the power caged within.

_"My body,"_ She thought, called to herself, begged herself. _"My blood, my power... I beg you... help me... just this one, make me strong!"_

It answered. It swelled within her until it could no longer be held back and exploded from with her in a torrent of blood-red youki. Red blood rushed from her stomach and entered her blood stream lending her stolen power, power that she would fight, if in another body. Tsukune's strength. She could feel his instincts infuse her body and, for only a second, she saw herself with claws instead of hands, sharpened bony armor formed around her. The image faded so fast like it was an illusion, but the focus she had gained, that single-minded focus she felt rising from within her, telling her where and how to hit the one in front of her didn't fade. They howled at her, telling her to move.

She did. Her legs coiled from underneath her and she sprang forward. She spun in mid-air and violently smashed her heel at the one who was supposed to be guarding her, straight into the middle of his surprised face when he turned to see what his captive was doing.

_"Well, you _can_ do it when you want. Admirable release, by the way. Very good for your first time. You lack my potency, but it was quite good none-the-less. Now cut these ropes and go to Tsukune."_

Outer Moka, still reeling from the sheer violence of the blood she had released within her, not to mention the fact that she had actually hurt someone, willingly at that even, nodded and took the man's knives, using one of them to cut the ropes. The others would be used to point the way. Someone should come to pick him up really.

Kokoa, Mizore and Kurumu were just ready to go after Tsukune, assured by the orange-haired girl of the group that something was wrong and that she was well enough to fight, when a wall exploded.

From the cloud of dust two monsters came out. Two identical, terribly familiar in shape, monsters.

For poor Kokoa it was more shocking, because seeing them brought back memories when one of them stood over her, ready to kill her.

They clawed and bit at each other, lashed out with their tails and tried to kill the other in a frenzy that left the girls reeling. Youki burst from them and their red eyes were almost blurs at the speed they were moving to bite the other while dodging getting bitten back. Gouts of acid were launched around haphazardly and the onlooking girls quickly took shelter, lest they be caught.

With a roar, one of them was kicked off the other, sent tumbling through the air and more than one pillar.

"Oh god, Tsukune!" Both members of the Black and White Duet said with fear in their voice.

"Tsukune? How do you know which one's Aono?" Said Kokoa, drawing a look of pained understanding.

"Because we know who he is. We don't need anything to tell us who he is. We love him. We could never confuse him, no matter what." Said Mizore and those words struck the girl harder than even the minotaur did. Because that could mean that her sister had feelings for this man as well. Which could mean that...

Her thoughts were stopped cold when the downed one howled in pain at being bitten by the standing monster. It clawed and shook its head, trying to shake off the one trying to kill him, but he couldn't.

Then Kokoa realized she was alone behind that cover. The succubus and yuki-onna pair, seeing their beloved hurt like that leapt at his attacker, trying to stop him. A lashing tail stopped them, sending them careening into a wall.

If Tsukune hadn't seen red at that moment, then he did right then.

It was bad enough that his Inner Demon was mocking him, telling him what a superior warrior the other one was, how good he felt to truly fight through the other one, how he would enjoy raping his friends before destroying their minds and desecrating them in the most horrifying ways imaginable... But to see the other hit them with its tail, _his_ tail... That brought on a whole new level of fury to him.

For once, Tsukune agreed with his demon. _**Kill**_.

The Divine lock on his arm rattled dangerously as several links cracked and broke, allowing Tsukune access to more of his power, and his demon much more leeway.

The explosion of power caught the other one unaware and the claw that lashed out struck home, tossing him back where they came from. Tsukune fell on all fours like an animal before leaping after him, claws, fangs and tail extended to tear and rip, pierce and stab, kill and destroy.

The two demons rolled around, biting furiously, spraying vile blood everywhere.

Through that chaos, Kokoa realized that she really was just a kid after all. She was a vampire, a proud Ayashi however and refused to let that deter her. Kou-chan transformed into a weird, long polearm with a hook on one end, though she made sure to tell the bat to keep it blunt. With that, she reached out to the hurt Kurumu and pulled her behind cover, quickly doing the same for Mizore. The girls were arranged in a non-painful position in short order, letting their innate healing abilities do their work.

_**"Come on you weakling, fight! Fight me! You've released so much of your power and that is all you can do? Pathetic!"**_ Said Tsukune's demon through its other body, even if that is only how Tsukune saw it. _**"First I'm going to kill the little brat. Then I'm going to enjoy impregnating the succubus whore and her slut of a yuki-onna friend. Then... then I'm going to find that bitch, Moka, and make her **_**beg**_** for me! I'm going to make a great slave out of her! I'm going to break her mind and body, I'm going to make her nothing but a puppet worshipping me, her Lord and Master! Then I'm going to visit our dear parents and show them their son's true face! Don't you think it will be hilarious? How dear old mother will gape at us, with father dying on our jaws? How little old **_**Kyou-chan**_** will beg for mercy, believing her stupid, little, weak brother will come to save her? And it's all **_**your**_** fault! Because you're so pathetically weak! You're **_**nothing**_**! Just like Moka; **_**I**_**'m your true self, sealed away by that pathetic chain! You're so pathetically weak you can't even convince yourself to do anything!"**_

On and on the voice went, naming and damning Tsukune with every word, breaking his confidence to pieces. He was ready to give in, when Moka came running in the room, frantic.

Ignoring the danger of doing so, Moka leapt between the two fighting monsters, over the downed Tsukune and under the demon ready to deliver the finishing blow.

The Rosario drew Tsukune's eyes and his fangs grabbed the silver cross, pulling it free.

The possessed criminal boss wasn't that annoyed when the girl leapt in front of him. More blood. More food. So he brought his claw down to smash her.

A hand met that blow just as silver hair now adorned the girl's head, complete with blood-red, reptilian eyes. She snarled at him, her youki making a visible pillar of power around her.

Under the girl, Tsukune's world went black as he lost his fight to stay conscious.

Moka gazed at his form, rapidly covered with clothes but not quickly enough to hide the numerous scars and bleeding wounds. It was a weird look. Kokoa would have been shell-shocked had she seen it.

It was a pained and yet adoring look.

But then it turned to absolutely furious as her eyes turned the one to hurt her friend, Tsukune. One part of him even called him _her_ Tsukune, but she focused on the fight.

She smirked but it wasn't nice. It was vicious and hateful as she pushed back the demon and leapt away from him, her quick motions drawing the attention of the feral monster, away from Tsukune's vulnerable form.

"You know..." She began and there was a lot of fury in her voice. "When Tsukune became an Akuchi, I was almost frightened. No matter what I did, the shame of that fear still lingers on me. I couldn't even fight him to beat it out of me. Thank you." Her fanged smile barely concealed her snarl. "For giving me the chance to fight him without danger to himself."

Kokoa was the only one conscious to hear all the words her sister said. She was also the only one to see her fight.

She swore off pissing her older sister after that.

She now knew how much Moka held back in fights. She now knew just how powerful her older sister could really be. She now knew that if she did _anything_ to hurt her friends, there would be not enough bits of her to identify her as a living being.

In that fight, Moka didn't hold back at all. Attack after attack, all perfect and stringed together in a perfect combo of raw destruction rained on the Akuchi.

It met that and gave back just as much, clawing, biting, lashing out at her.

Moka would never have it any other way. She was happy, in a way. There was much resentment to be unloaded upon the one to hurt her friends. There was much anger and much fury to vent. Not to mention the thrill of a hard life-and-death fight.

When the fight haze would leave her, Inner Moka would realize that, although her negative feelings about Tsukune had left her, the others _hadn't_. One would think that killing one who looks just like the one you have come to care for as more than a friend would be enough to kill your feelings about them. It didn't work. If anything, it made the contrast even greater, between her prideful anger and growing feelings.

When Kurumu and Mizore woke up, still in that dark, damp dungeon, they saw Inner Moka released, still slamming her fists on the downed form of their beloved, but they knew it wasn't Tsukune. They could tell, even beyond seeing him, beaten and bloodied next to them, they could always tell it wasn't him that was being so viciously slammed.

The murderer was clearly unconscious, if not dead, by that point, but Moka did not relent at all. She slammed her fists again and again on the unmoving form, turning flesh into gore and bones to dust.

It was only when Kurumu hugged her from behind that she stopped.

Then, as if realizing what she was doing, Moka got up and left, wordlessly, off into one of the corridors. Mizore and Kokoa made to go after her, but Kurumu stopped them.

"Don't, she needs this." She said wisely.

She was the only one to see Moka's face as she struck her enemy. The only one to see that it wasn't only drops of blood marring her cheeks. She knew what Moka was feeling at that moment and she knew there was only one way for the girl to take it out of her system, but to do that she had to be alone. Truly, pride was a terribly thing. Fear, realization of one's mortality was even greater.

In the other side of the maze, the knife-user of the criminal group was creeping out of one of the exits. When his eyes met boots, next to his hands as he tried to crawl out of an opening, he looked up to see a man in white robes with a none-too-happy expression on his face.

**"Hello there. I'm Mikogami, Headmaster of Youkai Gakuen and lord of this dimension. You must be the one to kill three of **_**my **_**students." **The way that was said made the criminal gulp in abject terror. **"I do not like anyone hurting my students, you can imagine what I believe about actually killing and eating them." **Then the expression turned absolutely furious and an unbelievable source of power exploded from the man. It wasn't youki; it was sheer, raw _power_, unseen, intangible but there all the same. The criminal whimpered. **"Also, did I mention I'm one of the three Dark Lords?"**

The screams that came from there were the perfect cover to the sounds of a girl crying in the darkness.

**A/N: And here's the next one! Rapid-fire Chapter-writing Mode!**

**You might come to see a few typos such as missing letters this time, don't worry; I've kinda ruined my laptop's keyboard these days with how much I write.**

**Couldn't be happier about it!**

**Anyway, please read and review.  
**

* * *

**Today, on this 9/6/2012, I, Soulblazer87, do hereby leave this site, possibly forever.**

**I shall not update this, or any other story.**

**I shall leave them on, however. Should you desire to follow my stories, do so in my new site of residence: www dot yourfanfiction dot com.**


	14. Recruitment Disaster

_Recruitment Disaster_

Tsukune groaned as he got off the bed, standard issue hospital bunker to be exact. Though he knew his body was repaired, he could still feel some phantom pains from the claws and teeth of the _other_.

The Other! The other him!

In a burst of memory, everything came back, sparked by that feeling of pain, and Tsukune's eyes widened as he looked around frantically.

He was quick to realize that the room was larger than most, something needed for the other three beds that were in there with him. Each bore a known face.

Across him was Kurumu, next to her Mizore and next to him slept Kokoa.

Tsukune sighed, relieved to see that none of them were badly hurt; they didn't even have a drip in their arms.

Something that sounded like a cross between a snore and a sigh, with a hint of a mumbled something, came from between Kokoa and him. Turning his eyes to the 'culprit', Tsukune realized why it sounded cute there for a moment; Moka was sitting in a chair, her candy-pink hair covering most of her chest, except the silver glint of her Rosario. Her head on the girl's lap, little Yukari was also in dreamland.

Releasing a drawn-out sigh, Tsukune got off the bed and padded his way to the toilet, feeling the need to release some of the pressure.

He turned on the light and promptly froze solid.

In the mirror he didn't see himself. No, he saw himself, but not _him_ staring back at him. A cold smirk was plastered on his face, brown haired lined with red streaks made of blood. Orange-red, burning, eyes stared back through reptilian pupils. A drop of blood made its way down from the forehead and a long, pointed tongue reached out to taste it.

Tsukune's eyes blinked.

The other face was gone and in its place was his own, ashen pale, brown-eyed one.

He dragged a hand down to his face and peered into the image in the mirror, trying to make sure his 'true' face was there.

"Oh god..." His whisper belied all his fears and terrors. In his mind the throaty chuckling of his other side let him know just what had happened. A quick look on his left arm verified his fears, realizing how many links were broken.

Tsukune staggered back until he hit the wall and collapsed on it, almost paralyzed in terror of what had happened.

He had done _it_. He had released all his pent up fury, his anger, his wrath... for one instant he let go of his control and...

It took him several minutes to gather his thoughts again and gain the power to move his own body. When he was able to, he wordlessly exited the small room he was in, got his clothes from the hospital locker with his name, got dressed and left, only once looking back at the room where his four precious people slept.

Had he looked on for just a second longer, he would have seen a pair of blue eyes open and mist sadly. He would have even heard a sound like a soft, chocked sob come from the one to so rarely show her emotions.

Checking out of the hospital was easy, no one would dare question the Student Council President. It was relieving in a sense.

Because nothing else had a semblance of relief. People coughing and groaning in pain did not draw his pity or kindness as usual.

_Weaklings_.

A part of him voiced that word with contempt. Try as he might, Tsukune found that to his utter horror he _couldn't find a shred of care for them in him._

They were pathetic, weak and infirm. They deserved that suffering for being that way. Only the weak suffer, the strong rule.

Teachings of his Demon but they weren't made with its voice; they resonated in him with his _own_.

Biting back a curse, Tsukune walked around the Academy's grounds, heading for the Headmaster. Surely he would have _some_ way of helping him. He hoped.

The heavy doors stood imposing before him but he had to knock. He had to find a way to maintain his sanity. His hand rose to knock, but even before that he heard the Headmaster's voice letting him in. The doors opened without visible aid managing to creep him out just like every time it happened.

**"Why hello there Tsukune-kun, what can I do for you today?"**

"You can start by repairing my chain." Well that was off to a good start.

**"I can't do that Tsukune-kun, I've already told you why."**

"You said, but you didn't do anything about it! Why did you have to make the damn chain so inflexible anyway? It's not like _it_ wouldn't find a way to escape it anyway!"

**"And it seems that more of the chain's links have been broken, correct?"** The boy's flinch was answer enough. **"I have spoken with the one to teach **_**me**_** sealing... he can't do much about it either. I've sent him some samples of your blood, just in case, but hope is rather dim. I can't help you artificially seal your demon away, not even completely as I could before; you have grown too accustomed to it and completely locking it away would kill you due to withdrawal."**

"Then what am I going to do? Just today I saw _it's_ face instead of mine in the mirror! I scoffed at sick people, I almost _laughed_ at someone who broke his leg on accident! I feel I'm going to loose my mind!"

**"I may be able to help, somewhat. But it is not a cure, do not be mistaken. I could try to teach you a bit more on meditation, something to help **_**you**_** fight your demons. But it's going to take time and effort. At least a day and that's to learn the most basic aspects. At best it is going to mute the demon, not make it go away. Maybe not even that."**

Tsukune this time _did_ scoff at the Headmaster. He turned around on his heel and marched off, furious. "Pathetic."

Behind him, he left a Dark Lord who was maybe for the first time in decades unsure of what he should do, if his plan maybe wasn't so perfect after all. In his office, a small letter written by a human's hand lay out of sight but not out of mind.

Back in the hospital room, Mizore had woken her duet partner up, gently nudging her. "Get up boob-girl, something's wrong with Tsukune."

The sleepy succubus took some time to convince to leave dreamland, but when she did, she realized that her Destined One had already left, without telling them even! That was _definitely_ troubling.

The two girls quickly hopped out of bed and got dressed before going off to look for their beloved Tsukune.

The boy himself however was faring much worse than they thought. After his talk with the Headmaster, he had developed a headache that felt like a wolf was gnawing on his brain. One hand covered his face and the other was furiously punching in the button for a water bottle from the vending machine, something to take off the edge from his thirst. It had grown by leaps and bounds during his stay in the hospital, he felt absolutely parched.

When the bottle came out, he drank it in mere seconds, but it didn't work.

Disgusted he tossed the plastic container away, not even caring to put it in a trash bin, unable to bother about it. "Damn..."

He wasn't thirsty for water. He wanted blood. A part of him even rejoiced at the thought of blood, warm and sticky, flowing down his throat.

Tasty, warm blood. Moka's blood would be the best. But Mizore's would also be cool, like a refreshing lemonade in the midst of summer. He could even bet that Kurumu's would taste like sugar and cinnamon, what with how much of the stuff she ate through her legendary cookies.

His head met the railing on the roof violently, causing it to cave. He knew he shouldn't, he shouldn't want to drink blood, it was bad to drink blood. But, no matter how much he said so, he couldn't deny the fact that it's exactly what he wanted, like an addict looking for his fix, knowing it would make everything better if he could just get a drop of blood...

Again he slammed his head on the railing. Damn...

"Tsukune!" A familiar voice shouted and he didn't even have time to turn around before a succubus smothered him in her chest. "Tsukune! You're fine! I woke up but you were gone! I was so afraid something had gone wron-"

"Kurumu... let _go_ of me." His voice was cold and the succubus noticed that he wasn't struggling like usual; he was actually pushing her back. He was _rejecting _her.

"T-Tsukune? What's wrong? Can I help?" She asked taking a step back, looking at him worriedly.

"Wrong? What's wrong? _Everything_ is wrong! So just leave me alone!" He shouted at her. He couldn't help it, he was just so _angry_.

"No way I'm letting you go off like that!" She said and Tsukune almost snarled at her, more than a bit annoyed at his request being annoyed. "Not when you're like that! You should come with me, we'll find a way to help you!"

"Shut up!" He knew it was wrong of him to say it even before he opened his mouth but he couldn't stop. "Just leave me alone! What do _you_ know? What do you think you can do? Nothing! _I_ have to deal with it so just leave me the hell alone!"

With that he was gone, leaving the girl crying on the roof. Mizore appeared next to her almost immidiately, trying to comfort her friend.

"He... he's so cold Mizore... I... I couldn't feel anything from him... It's just like when he first changed, only worse... Now it's like he has turned completely different... I... I think I'm going to loose him Mizore..."

The snow girl nodded and helped her up. "I'm following him. Go find Moka and Ruby, they might be able to help."

Kurumu let out only a soft, chocked sob and left, disheartened and almost crushed in sadness. Her duet partner though began to follow Tsukune, wanting to understand why he changed so drastically.

She found him mere moments later, raging on another roof.

"Damn it! Damn it all! Why did I have to say that? God dammit! Now she's hurt!" He shouted. "Ugh, and what the hell's up with this headache, it feels like my mind's on fire!" His fist landed on one of the brick chimneys and it cracked under his strength.

Mizore walked out from behind it, her eyes soft, but she didn't speak.

Very low on the virtue called 'patience', Tsukune snapped at her. "What do _you_ want? Here to annoy me like Kurumu does?"

She just shook her head and raised her right arm, a large block of ice on her palm. "Ice. Helps with headaches." She intoned in a monotonous voice, offering him what little help she could.

Tsukune looked at the ice pack in her hand and then her face. A part of him told him to shout at her for doing unnecessary things, to rage about her not giving him some time alone.

The rest of him however told him how special that offer was, considering how little she spoke or interacted with him usually, preferring to stalk him instead.

His hand shook as he himself did with his internal battle but in the end he took the offered ice and put on his head. "Th... thank you..." It was as if he couldn't say the word, but he managed it in the end, turning away sharply.

Mizore only nodded, knowing she didn't have to do anything else. She looked over him for a bit before leaving, but also letting few words of encouragement reach his ears just seconds before vanishing. "We're all here for you Tsukune. We trust you."

She didn't see him nod, nor the tears that threatened to fall from his eyes.

"I'm... really pathetic, aren't I? Hurting them again and again..."

Back in the hospital, Kokoa had had enough of her sister evading her questioning. "Argh! I've had it!" She shouted. "Will some of you tell me what the hell Aono is? I've already seen his monster form but I have no idea _what_ he is!"

"Kokoa-chan, that's rude!" Said her sister, Moka. She didn't want the girl reacting badly to Tsukune's true identity being exposed. He was already going through enough.

"I think it's time we shared the truth with Kokoa-san~desu." Said Yukari, shocking the group. "Kokoa-san is very smart, she is bound to find it out. It's best if she learns it from us rather than confuse things later."

Even though the vampire in question didn't say it, she was really thankful to the witch, finally someone could see her worth. "That's right! Now spill it!"

"The truth, Kokoa-chan is that Tsukune-san... wasn't _born_ a monster... he became one... I _made_ him one..."

And then, truth upon truth were revealed to the little girl who could barely control herself to stop gawking and looking from one speaker to the next, her jaw hanging open.

Who knew that scrawny, average-looking, possible pervert, weak-seeming boy was actually a dreaded Akuchi. At least now several things began to make sense.

Then Kurumu walked in, crying. She leapt into Moka's arms and just stayed there sobbing, mumbling something about 'hates her' and 'made angry'.

It took several moments for the pink-haired girl to calm down the one in her arms, or at least enough to tell her what was wrong.

"I'm loosing him Moka... My Destined One... I can't feel anything from him, it's like he hated me! He told me to leave him alone, he almost hit me!"

"W-what?" Asked the incredulous girl. "Tsukune-san? No way! There's no way he would act like that!"

"No~desu, there may be a way... Remember? Several links broke back then, and he used a lot of power to fight the impostor... There's a chance it might have affected him..." Said the witch, which caused the orange-haired girl to nod as well.

"True. Besides, you told me he's overprotective right? And that guy hit you and Mizore. If I'm right, and I think I am, he considers himself responcible for it; if he didn't have that power, then the other one wouldn't and you wouldn't have been hurt."

It was surprising insight, but not all that unanticipated, especially since vampires are extremely close to their instincts. Even Inner Moka verified that possibility, not to mention that she had felt the Ghoul's powers awaken temporarily, powers that fed on the same feelings as Tsukune's Inner Demon, something that could have powered up that personality enough to wrest control or affect the boy. Since the Demon seemed focused around fury, there was also the possibility that with increased 'hold' on Tsukune, it could also affect him, leeking out its vile emotions and making him extremely irritable.

The succubus however didn't believe that; she kept on crying, thinking that he really hated her. It was only when Mizore came to the room and told her how sad he was at snapping at her that the succubus began really calming down.

While that went on, Yukari approached Kokoa and sat right next to her. "You're scared of Tsukune-san, aren't you? Or were at least. I can understand that you know. The first time he transformed, it was horrible..." She said and shuddered, reliving the memory of Tsukune's first transformation. "He had no control, he had become little more than an animal, killing people left and right, even eating some of the dead... For that kind Tsukune-san to turn into that... I was so scared, I almost stopped seeing him."

That was quite surprising to Kokoa. Sure he was scary, but to that point? She could understand the other girl though, but her pride caused her to reply hastily. "Scared? As if, I was just surprised is all!"

Yukari giggled a bit there. "No need to lie, Kokoa-san, we _all_ were scared, even Tsukune-san. But the point is, that by fearing him, I hurt him much more than he hurt me. It took him almost sacrificing his life for mine for me to get over that fear. It was then I realized that, Akuchi or not, in demonic or human form, no matter what, Tsukune-san is Tsukune-san. He cares about us the most and would give his life for us in an instant. The point is, Kokoa-san, that Tsukune-san has been going through some very hard times and, even then, even through having to kill a friend, through betrayals and constant fighting, through not even knowing _what_ he was, Tsukune-san kept on fighting, for _us._ The truth is, what is the scariest about Tsukune-san, isn't his battle form." She then looked at the girl with a focused, determined look. "It's his determination. Who else do you know that could go through all that, start from nothing more than a human with not even an idea that monsters exist, and could go all the way to one of the strongest monsters of the entire Academy and still not hurt anyone if he even had the slightest chance to do it?"

Kokoa looked at Yukari and began to understand more and more about the enigma known as 'Aono Tsukune'.

He seemed cold at times, but in fact was warm as the sun. He seemed happy, but within him he carried a daunting burden. He seemed _normal_, even for Youkai standards, but he was anything _but_ normal.

And, as much as she wanted to deny it, he was one of the few people she could admit were worthy of being a vampire; people like that were extremely rare. Which, of course, would explain why her sister reacted that way to him.

Kokoa huffed and got off the bed, sick and tired of sitting there. Besides, she had something to do, or rather someone to smack back to his senses. If that idiot didn't get how damn lucky he was to be near her onee-sama, then she'd have to make him see it. "Whatever, I'm out of here. See ya." And she was off.

Nightfall came and Tsukune was still on that roof. He didn't need to go anywhere, didn't want to go anywhere. He didn't want to see _them_, didn't want to accidentaly hurt any of them.

He was so afraid in part. He was so afraid that this boiling fury he felt pent up within him would explode and hurt his friends. How could he face them like that? How could he look at them with anger or apathy in his eyes?

He had to recover his ground against his own Demon's advances, but how to go about doing that, he had no idea. Maybe he could take the Headmaster's advice, if the offer was still open.

In that lonely rooftop, Tsukune let himself cry for the first time in many months, his tears enlarging the pool of water that came from a now-melted ice pack, a gesture of friendship from a friend he didn't deserve.

"Well, didn't take you for a crybaby Aono." The snotty voice of Shuzen Kokoa reached his ears and he met her dismissive eyes with his own tearful ones.

"What would you know of me? You're so lucky. You're a vampire, you have parents who wouldn't despise the mere thought of you. You have a sister who loves you and you're not afraid to love back. So what would you know of me?" He asked, tired of hiding so much of himself.

"Eh, at least I didn't cry when onee-sama beat me every time. I didn't cry when she left, or when mother died. I didn't cry when Onee-san looked like she lost her soul. And I sure as hell don't cry every time Father beats me up for being a failure." She said, leaning on the railing. She didn't know why she was doing it, she couldn't find a definite reason for acting as she was, so older than her real age. But she wanted to know, she wanted to know about the one to have gained her sister's affections.

Because Kokoa could see that her sister liked this Aono guy. Even if she herself didn't accept it, Kokoa could already see that her sister treated him much differently than she treated everyone else, even her own little sister. Also, she had witnessed his power and knew that something was wrong. When Kurumu came back to the hospital room in tears, she knew that something was very wrong; he hadn't once sounded hurtful or as mean even when she tried to hurt his friends. Something must have happened and Kokoa wanted to know what. Couldn't have this guy hurting her Onee-sama like that now, could she?

"Hah, that's nothing." He said and she would have thought it mocking had there not been very true pain in his voice. "Try having a demon sealed in your soul. Try having _it_ narrate how it would feel to sink your claws in your friends, eat your parents and rape your sister. Try imagining that and then think about _feeling_ its emotions on top of it. Want to know what's wrong Shuzen-sama-sama? Here's what's wrong; I was a freaking human, a normal, average, ordinary human until I came here. I came here and your oh-so-wonderful sister helped awaken a demon in me. It's eating away at my sanity _every day_ and all I can do is cry about it. Like things never changed, like I'm the same pathetic human I was before... Look at me... I'm one of the strongest monsters in the entire Academy and yet all I can do is cry about it... My Inner Demon is right it seems... I'm pretty pathetic..."

Kokoa hummed as she looked at the boy in front of her, re-evaluating her opinion on him. Truth be told, not half of what he had said were a surprise; her sister had told her a few things after Kurumu had calmed down a bit. But she could sympathize with him. She didn't know exactly how he felt, but at least she could understand the 'fury' part. She could understand about having every fiber of your being screaming at you to kill someone and resisting it for no reason you can even remember.

"I know, some of it anyway, nee-chan told me... Tell you the truth, I'm rather impressed. What with a human holding that thing back, she said you had to fight it in your mind every day. I also think that onee-sama would be impressed too."

"Heh," His chuckle was broken and sad, almost mocking. "words of encouragement can't do me that good with my situation. Compliments don't work on a demon... Only strength does and I can't even find in me the strength to care to fight it..."

This time Kokoa scoffed at him, almost as if disgusted. "We vampires are a proud, noble race. That means two things; we don't give up and we don't praise anyone easily. You have the luck to be near one of us, let alone of my onee-sama's caliber, and call her friend. You can even see her every day. You should be grateful for it and stop whining. Life's not fair, your demon's not nice and _you_ have to do something about it. That's all there is to it, baka." Then she was gone, her bat squealing excitedly in her ear about something or other.

"Grateful huh... I wonder..."

That night the Headmaster got a surpsise visit in his office. It wouldn't have been so had he not considered re-evaluating his plans. Still he grinned at the boy in front of him.

**"It seems you have found some courage boy. Now come, it's time for training. I hope you told your friends this would take at least a day however."**

Tsukune gave him a grin almost identical to the one on the Headmaster's face. "A day? I'll be done in less than that. I have to go to school in the morning and finish my newspaper article on top of that."

The Headmaster let out a short chortle at that and pulled the boy with him into the deeper areas of his sanctum, where he reigned truly supreme, his will able to control and alter reality at his whim.

In there Tsukune trained to control himself and overcome the hate within. In there, Tsukune was taught about meditation techniques that were safeguarded by ancient philosophers and zealously hidden away eons ago.

It was to great surprise to the Exorcist when indeed, Tsukune learned the first, basic, steps to meditation in less than a day. Apparently the boy had found something to strive for, a goal to wrap himself around and toss all else in the air. He seemed to have grown a bit even.

Good, he was going to need all the help he could get, especially if he kept on breaking the Lock's links at this speed.

The next day, Tsukune didn't show up at all, not at homeroom and not at club activities. Not a single soul had seen him. It was worrying, very worrying, but Ruby assured him he was fine and within Academy grounds.

When, the next morning, Tsukune still didn't show up for homeroom, something that cause much worry to his friends as well as the entire class. Even Nekonome-sensei opened one of her perpetually squinted eyes as if to make sure he really wasn't there. Even Moka couldn't find him with her supersensory sense and neither could Mizore track him down despite her respectable skill in the area.

When homeroom ended, early in the afternoon, the group quickly made its way to their club room to let their teacher know they would be skipping activities to look for their friend.

What awaited them there was different than what they had expected.

On the table was a large article ready to be published and on it Tsukune's pen name. But around it were four smaller boxes with the name of each of the girls on it.

They slowly, almost carefully opened their boxes to find each had a small gift. Moka's was a small blood pack with Tsukune's name on it. Mizore got a large collection of lolipops in all tastes imaginable while Yukari received a small pouch filled with arcane paraphernalia, useful for her various experiments, amongst them even a blood sample from Tsukune in his battle transformation. Kurumu got the largest one; an wide assortment of various cookies and candy, imported straight from the human world, and with them a note of apology; _"I'm sorry for snapping at you, Tsukune."_

The four girls looked at each other confused, not quite getting what had happened and missed the entrance of another in the room. "Well, seems like he finally got some courage back in him, didn't he?"

"K-Kokoa-chan?" Asked a rather surprised Moka. "What do you mean?"

"Hmph, after you told me what youkai race he is and boob-lady over there came in crying, I had to confront him. And what did I find? Almighty Aono Tsukune-sama crying on the roof like a weakling."

Kurumu almost exploded at the girl with the way she spoke about her Destined One but Mizore quickly put her hand over the succubus' mouth, silencing her.

"I mean, what kind of guy cries like that? Being the nice, caring soul that I am," At that she glared at Kurumu's indignant look. "being the _nice_ and _caring_ soul that I am, I smacked some sense into him. The baka should be grateful for being near my onee-sama, even in nee-chan's form, every day of his life."

"Indeed I should Kokoa-chan..." Tsukune's voice came from the door and he looked absolutely exhausted. He didn't get much time to dwell on the looks he was given before Kurumu leapt on him and pulled him to her generous bosom.

"Tsukune! I'm so sorry for pressing you and not leaving you alone! Thank you for the cookies they're great and we can share them together! You can come in my room and we can do all sorts of thin-"

There she was cut off by a blushing Mizore who promptly froze her solid to free a suffocating Tsukune. "Relax you big-breasted moron, you almost killed him."

While the Black and White Duet began one of their usual fights, Moka and Yukari looked at each other before sneaking Tsukune free of the makeshift battlefield, much to Kokoa's chagrin.

Said girl decided to ignore the chaos going on around her, she knew it would be over without injuries and pretty soon if neither Moka nor Tsukune reacted to it especially, and instead chose to read Tsukune's article, the one on the criminals.

"Hey!" She said once she started going through it. "Why isn't onee-sama here? She was the one who defeated the boss, wasn't she? She should be dominating the entire page!"

And there went her obsession with one side of her sister only.

"W-Well," Said Tsukune, rather uncomfortable at the looks he was getting. "doing so would reveal Moka-san's true form and that's forbidden for normal students you know. Besides, it wouldn't be fair to Kurumu-chan and Mizore-chan. Everyone did their part, even Yukari-chan who was forced to stay back and tell Ruby-san where to find us. You did as well, since you were the one to find the hideout."

"B-But... but Moka-onee-sama was the one to beat their leader! She should be the one to-"

"Let it go Kokoa-chan..." Said Moka calmingly. "None of us does it for the sake of recognition. We just to what he have to do to make the Academy a better place."

"Yeah, yeah!" Added Kurumu. "We don't have to look for trouble, usually trouble looks for us and we beat it on the head! Now, let's go! We have a newspaper to print and distribute! The Newspaper Club is back in action! Yahoo!"

Being hyperactive was a good thing this time because it drew the girl's attention away as they filed away to get to the editing and printing room. Kokoa made to go with them but thought better of it and left quietly, leaving the club to get down to its business.

The very next day she was at the club's room again. She couldn't help it. She was attracted to these people like a metal to a magnet. Each and every one of them was unique with a dose of insanity and yet, despite their differences, they were managing to hold it all together. She wouldn't admit it, but she was envious of them. She wanted to be older so she could be amongst them as an equal.

"So, why are you here this time Kokoa-chan? Did something happen?" Said the succubus, looking up from her article, a cookie recipe for 'The One Who Holds Your Heart Without Knowing It'. It was _really_ subtle the way she stole glances at Tsukune while writing it.

The freshman was taken aback. She didn't even know herself _why_ she felt she had to be there, why that place, no the people of that place, felt like a second home to her despite knowing most of them for only a few days. "Err.. well... I came to see nee-chan, that's why! Maybe even see onee-sama!" She amended, quickly naming a reason. It wasn't all that hard really; it was one of the reasons she spent so much time around that group.

"Eeeh... I don't believe you." Said Kurumu, making Kokoa curse the fact that succubae were innately talented at reading people. "Wait, maybe it is... it couldn't be!"

"What?" Said Mizore and Moka, making even Tsukune raise a head in question away from his own article.

"I bet you want to join the club!" Came Kurumu's declaration, almost making the young vampire facefault at the sheer confidence she held.

"W-What? No way! I-"

And then the girl was swept away at the sheer festivity of the event; having a freshman join their club that is. It was a simple matter for Yukari to create colorful ribbons and small fireworks while Kurumu and Moka flanked the little girl telling her how nice it would be to join them. Even Tsukune smiled at her and welcomed her to the club.

And through that, the girl couldn't fathom just how things could have turned that weird in that little time. "But I never said I'd join!"

"It's alright!" Kurumu 'comforted' her. "If you don't join us now, you'll be sorry later!"

"Yeah, the Newspaper Club is the best! We have adventures and a lot of fun every day!" Went on Moka.

"Who would join this club anyway?" Came Kokoa's denial.

Unfortunately for her, the answer came immidiately in the form of Mizore. "I would. I wasn't a member formally, but here is my introduction."

"I would like to join too, I got permission from the Headmaster, despite not being a student." Said Ruby. Then she blushed deeply as she looked at Tsukune. "Order me around however you like!"

Then things became worse as Nekonome-sensei joined the group. The problem? She was dressed in a cheerleader's outfit with the sign 'Newspaper Club' emblazoned on it.

"Which reminds me..." Said Tsukune as if realizing at that moment. "We've got freshman recruitment period now. We should go gather more people. We could really expand the club this way."

And so poor Kokoa was dragged along with the rest of the group and was promptly suited up with a cheerleading uniform, despite her protests.

Though, the girl had to admit, it did certainly make her sister look good, how better would she look as onee-sama? Of course, then came the point that it was extremely degrading for her as a proud and noble vampire. Mostly because the outfit made her look cute and sexy, which drew all sorts of perverts in the Newspaper Club's stall.

Some of them even made to harass Yukari, them being lolicons and her being classified as 'cute', but thankfully Tsukune was there to prevent that with a smile and a small show of youki.

Which of course had the side-effect of drawing the attention of several fangirls who thought he looked 'cute'.

It was when Kurumu-fans started fighting Moka-fans that Kokoa decided she'd had enough. With a mighty leap, she was off, uncaring about showing her unmentionables to those underneath her.

"What kind of people are they? Treating me like a kid, dragging me around, dressing me up in such an embarassing outfit... Why do I hang out with them?" She asked herself atop one of the many pointed pillars of the school.

"Well, because it's fun, of course. And we're all nice people and care for you." Yukari's voice came from behind the girl, shaking her from her not-so-internal monologue.

"What the hell are you talking about? This way, the way things are going, I'm never going to get better... I'll never be able to reach Onee-sama's caliber. That's why I don't have time to waste on such things!"

Yukari giggled. "Is it alright to think like that? It would be boring to live that way. Kokoa-san is Kokoa-san and Moka-san is Moka-san. I would know; I'm one of Moka-san's fans too!"

"W-w-what? What are you talking about?"

"Heehee... in truth, Kokoa-san, you love Moka-san, don't you? I can't blame you, she's perfect in every way; beautiful, graceful, so smart... It's hard being next to your idol every day..."

Kokoa gawked; she was so happy she could cry. Finally someone that could understand her! "You... you mean that? You're not kidding are you?"

"Nope! And then there's Tsukune-san... When he was human he was kind and caring and warm... Now he's so much more manly!" Squealed Yukari before shaking herself out of her fantasies. "But the point is, I know what you're going through. I still believe the Newspaper Club is the best option for us to be, but if you want, I'll help you find another club to join. So, what do you have in mind?"

Kokoa hummed and thought about it. "Well, to catch up to onee-sama, I have to learn how to fight better. So is there any martial arts club? Like a Karate Club or something?"

The witch quickly recalled from memory where all the club stalls were located and pulled the excited vampire with her, ready to go meet their destiny and get stronger.

It didn't work. As soon as they got to the Karate Club, where a small gravestone breaking exhibition was taking place, they were even refused to attempt to do it. Which pissed off Kokoa more than just a little bit.

Worse; they were denied entrance in _all_ Martial Arts clubs, just for being younger.

"Dammit!" Raged Kokoa as she kicked a small stone, her supernatural strength nearly sending it into orbit. "Why do people underestimate us so much? Just for being younger! I'm as strong as any of them! I know I could beat most of them easily, even if Kou-chan stayed on the sidelines! This is so unfair!"

The witch sat on a small stone too, sighing sadly. "I guess it's because we're children, they can't take us seriously~desu..."

"Argh! If only we were older, we could show these bastards a thing or two! If only I was as old as onee-sama, I'd be able to get in these clubs easily!"

"Get older... Of course~desu! I can't believe I forgot these! Behold!" Said the witch, pulling a large glass bottle filled with what seemed like pills from her hat. "Magical item; Growing Drops! I made them for just such an occasion! I haven't polished it much or tested it on anyone except my pets, but it should work! I've checked everything and it should work properly~desu."

"Growing... drops? What the hell is that?" Asked a rather curious Kokoa, peering at the large pills. They were brightly colored with various swirls.

"Hehe! Instead of telling you, why don't I just show you? Here, take one and see for yourself! The power of my Growing Drops!" Said Yukari, taking out a pill and handing it to Kokoa.

With her having exhausted all other options, the vampire girl decided to trust her new friend and promptly swallowed it in one go.

A few minutes later, a new bombshell walked towards the Karate Club stall. She had orange hair, knee-high socks and a cheerleading uniform that left rather little to the imagination. Eyes turned to the woman and jaws dropped as some howled at her beauty and grace. Of course, the girl lapped it all up happily.

"Hmm, I'll try your little event. But I'll pay two thousand yen if I loose after I try."

The one in command tried to reject it, but upon seeing such a beautiful girl willingly come anywhere near him, he turned into a gawking fool. Probably because _no_ girl had ever come within ten feet of him willingly.

The girl stood in front of the gravestones and raised her hand in the air where a bat perched itself and wrapped its wings around her hand, turning into a battle glove-like weapon.

A small huff later and the fire-haired beauty had smashed her fist on the pile of gravestones, breaking all of them in an instant. The force was great enough that they knew she would have broken even more than the thirteen already presented, had there been any more.

"Well, seems like I won!" Said the girl, making a small happy jump that made several parts of her anatomy jiggle around and subsequently turn several male onlookers into drooling idiots. "I'll be taking my fifty thousand yen now. Bye-bye!" And with a large pot in hand she was gone, leaving more than a few of them fighting each other on who she had looked at first, whom she had smiled at and similar things.

Moments later, the girl was behind some buildings talking to her accomplice. "Did you see them looking at me? Did you see their faces? They even called me sexy and graceful! Like my Onee-sama!"

The accomplice however was more interested in counting the fifty thousand yen they had earned. "Yes, the plan was a success, a great success Kokoa-san... Now we can earn back every bit of mocking from them... hehehehe..."

Kokoa giggled in a way that would make males swoon at her friend's antics. "Your Growing Drops are wonderful Yukari-san! Taller vision, greater power... and more importantly... this!" She said and pushed forward her enlarged bosom. "Touch it!"

With such an open and honest invitation, Yukari quickly abandoned counting money in favour of turning to her sister-in-crime and promptly groping her. "Wow... this is amazing~desu..." It might have been less misleading had she not been dripping blood from her nose and having a near-ecstatic look on her face.

Kokoa was just beginning to like the weird feeling she was getting from her breasts when someone thought it a good idea to interrupt them. "That was really amazing! We would like you to join our club!"

It was the weird guy that held the bet pool in the Karate Club accompanied by another big-boned member of the same group.. The nasty part was that even Kou-chan the bat could tell they had less than honorable intentions about her joining their club.

Kokoa regarded them with the finality only a vampire could give. "No, you guys are too weak. I need to get strong, really strong. I can't afford to be in a club with such weaklings."

"Wh-wh-whaaaaat?" They said in stereo. "You can say that only after beating us! Take this!" And they were on her.

Only to be defeated in a second by the new-and-improved Kokoa.

Both girls were just as surprised by this turn of events. Yukari was mostly stunned by the fact that Kokoa really was Moka's sister after all; no one could fight on that level and still treat it like nothing more than a low-level warmup. Kokoa on the other hand cared more about the fact that she could feel her strength grow within her and flow like an unstoppable torrent. That way, she was sure that her sister would notice and accept her if they fought.

But she didn't get much time to enjoy her victory as four others, dressed in the same Karate Club outfit appeared behind the two other defeated boys. The one who seemed to be their leader, a man with white hair but somehow black eyebrows glared at Kokoa. "While I thank you for sparing me the time to educate that idiotic junior of mine, but didn't you get carried away a bit there? I won't let anyone insult my Karate Club!"

"T-t-third graders! This is bad Kokoa-san!" Stuttered Yukari; she had a very bad experience with third graders.

Kokoa however was as confident as ever. In that form of hers, she could not be defeated that easily. "Stand back. Kou-chan and I are going to handle this, right Kou-chan. Now come, if you beat me, I'll join your club!"

The group's leader let out an almost proud smirk; finally someone who knew what it meant to fight. "That's a good spirit, woman. It'll be good to have a fighter in my club instead of these two idiots."

And then, just as they charged each other...

Kokoa's body shrinked and her clothes almost fell from her body.

The surprised girl looked around curiously. "Hey, why did everyone get so big all of a sudden? Even Yukari... Wait!" She nearly shrieked. "They didn't get big; I got turned into a kid!"

The Karate Club members' fists made a nasty sound as they clacked their fingers, ready to lay a beating on the girl and Kokoa knew she was in deep trouble. Trouble she could not depend on others to protect her, considering how badly she denied their help before.

"Yukari! Hurry up and change me back to normal!" She screamed at the young witch, who at the moment was taking several steps back; for being in a kid's body Kokoa certainly did look very intimidating.

"I-I can't do that now Kokoa-chan! I-It seems my Growing Drops number 1 experiment has failed! Please don't hurt me~desuuu!"

Poor Kokoa was shell-shocked at the developments. Initially, she took the pill to get closer to her great and beautiful sister, but right now she was the exact _opposite_!

Unfortunately, she didn't get the time to debate long on it. "Now what? You think that turning into a little girl like that is going to make our war stop or something? Just because you turned into a child, doesn't mean I'll forgive you for not only beating my club members, but also making a mockery of Karate in front of me. Better be ready to die little brat." And he looked absolutely pissed.

The two defeated Club members thought it would be a good time to interfere. "P-Please beat her up boss! S-she probably changed to a girl to catch you off guard, just like they double-teamed us by surprise! Teach her how great Karate really is!" Inwardly however, he knew it was just a scheme to punish the brat who beat him up by double-teaming an 'honorable' person like himself.

"You shut up, weakling. I'll deal with you later." Said the Karate Club leader, sparing a cold look to his junior. "As for you girl, get ready."

"Ugh! Doesn't matter who you are, I'm not gonna loose!" Said Kokoa with more confidence than she was feeling. Still, the vampiric blood within her couldn't let her give up without at least giving as good as she took.

Then it was over; in an instant, the leader's fist was less than an inch from Kokoa's eyes. A wave of wind, blasted backwards by the sheer strength of the blow cracked the wall, several feet behind the girl.

_"W-what? That... that was just a straight fist thrust!"_ Thought Kokoa, terrified. _"If I had a chance to beat him in my adult body, I have no way of doing it now! He's going to beat me!"_

"Miyamoto Haiji, Karate Club Leader. I won't forgive anyone who mocks Karate." He said in a rough face. Then, to Kokoa's and Yukari's great surprise his face suddenly softened and he grinned. "Well, not like I would really punch a child or something." He said, putting a hand on Kokoa's head and patting it. "I bet you didn't know I was a big kid-lover, did you?"

"Wh-what?" Kokoa was rather freaked out by how suddenly he changed.

"Anyway, we're off. I'll deal with you two fools at our club room"

"W-Wait!" Said Kokoa, rather incessed at the fight stopping in such a weird way. She had her pride after all. "The fight isn't over ye- Hey! Put me down!" Then she started screaming when Haiji suddenly picked her up like the small kid she was and waved her around, saying how cute she was.

It would have been a compliment, had he not been blushing and drooling while doing so, something that tipped Kokoa and Yukari as to the real reason behind him being a 'kid-lover.

"You're no kid-lover! You're just a lolicon!" Screamed the both of them in unison. Kokoa even tried to hit him, but his arms were much longer than hers and she couldn't reach him.

"Anyway, now I got to punish my two stupid subordinates, so we're out. Take care little girl!" And then he was gone, dragging his two defeated juniors on the ground by their legs.

"Well... that wasn't too bad, right Kokoa-san?" Said Yukari.

"Wasn't too bad?" Screeched Kokoa, making the witch back off as, even though she was in a child's body, she still managed to look intimidating. "I got turned into a freaking _child_ by _your_ Growing Drops, then I get humiliated like this and you are saying that it wasn't too bad? I can't even go to the Newspaper Club to get help because they'll just make fun of me when they see how I ended up!"

"I-I don't think they'll mock Kokoa-san... and it's not like we have anywhere but the Newspaper Club to go to..." Said the little witch, though she didn't really believe it.

And she shouldn't; as soon as Kurumu saw Kokoa's new form, she broke down in laughter and even Mizore had a hard time covering her giggling.

"Ahahaha! You look so cute Kokoa-chan!" She said, ignoring the impotent glare sent her way. "You look so cute right now! When I have kids with Tsukune I wish they'd look just like you!"

"Who's going to have kids with Tsukune, you big-breasted moron?" Said Mizore, standing in front of Kokoa semi-protectively, though mirth could easily be seen in her face. "Tsukune is _my_ future husband."

And then began a tug-o-war with Kokoa as the tug, her attempts to escape fruitless before a pair of girls whose 'kawaii-radar' had activated.

It's when they started calling her their own child that she _really_ got worried. Who knew if she would stay like this forever? Or if she would have to grow up from that age the old-fashioned way?

"Stop teasing her already!" Shouted Moka, who apart from not wanting them to tease her little sister was also quite annoyed at all the children talk. "She doesn't like it!"

"Moka-san is right, for now we must find a way for Kokoa-san to return to normal. Even though I don't get why you would take the Growing Drops in the first place..." This time, Tsukune made a very good work of forcing Kokoa expose her secrets.

"W-Well... I wanted to get stronger and went to the Karate Club and the other martial arts clubs but they didn't accept children so..."

"You were going to join the Newspaper Club though, weren't you?" Mizore interrupted her.

"I never said that, even once!" Again with her denial, Kokoa exploded, drawing questioning looks from everyone around, even the older witch, Ruby, who had come to help Yukari find an antidote.

"Why not?" Said the older witch of the group. "Even I did and I'm not even a student here. Being around with Tsukune-san and the others... being ordered around... I would do _anything_..." And then she was lost in weird fantasies whose details the group could only guess, though the drooling, blushing, nosebleed and soulfull looks to Tsukune's direction gave them a good enough hint.

"W-w-what?" Came Tsukune, reeling away from the witch. As if it wasn't bad enough to deal with Kurumu and her not-that-subtle advances, now there was _another_ woman who tried to do such things to him? Couldn't they understand that he couldn't be with any of them?

"Get away from my Tsukune, Ruby! I have enough rivals for my Destined One as it is!" And then the succubus was on Tsukune's defence in her traditional way; smothering him in her chest.

"Stop suffocating my future husband in your chest, boob-monster!" Came Mizore's answer to the girl's challenge and they were off again in another childish fight.

Meanwhile Moka had taken Kokoa by the hand. "Come on Kokoa-san, we have to go to the arts and crafts club and find you some proper clothes."

That was the magical word that caused the warring duet to stop its infighting and instantly teleport next to the minature vampire. "Clothes eeeh..."

Kokoa was left to wonder if it would be better off to parade around the entire school in her oversized clothes rather than be pulled along with these two in search of clothing.

And lo and behold, her fears came true. It started out innocent enough, or at least their looks were innocent. And then it escalated; from human kindergarten clothes to cosplay, then to baby outfits, even more cosplay and then a teddy-bear outfit.

Understandingly the vampire girl was more than a bit angry at the way she was treated, especially by the looks of joy on the group's faces; they must surely be mocking her!

"You know, this is just like having a child." Said Kurumu.

"Yeah, only without the pain of giving birth or having to wake up in the middle of the night." Countered Mizore, who was having too much fun to be legal.

"True, but also without the pleasure of it. You know, just me and Tsukune, on a bed, naked..." And the succubus was off drooling and imagining all sorts of things, leaving poor Tsukune coughing at the images she was evoking in his mind.

"Hah" Jumped in Yukari, after finally having explained the process of Growing Drops to the elder witch. "why would he prefer you? Tsukune-san will be with Moka-san and then invite me and drink from this forbidden fruit of eternal youth!" And now even the witch was trying to pull Tsukune to squish him in her chest, regardless of how an impossible task that was.

Thankfully, Mizore's timely intervention saved the poor boy from the fate of being convicted to life as a lolicon by other onlookers. "You can't do anything of the sort, brat. Tsukune prefers a more average size, like peaches, see?" Following her declaration, Mizore rather proudly presented her chest to the poor boy who wanted to just get away from all this insanity.

At least Moka had finished selecting a proper outfit for Kokoa; a nice victorian-style black dress. It looked very nice and satisfied the girl's standards enough to put up with wearing it.

"See Kokoa-chan? This is good right? It suits you perfectly!" Moka said happily, though a part of her also remembered another with a similar dress, only she had long pink hair...

"Y-Yes... this is good..." Said the temporarily youngest of the group, actually liking the way she looked, even if it was a bit too formal for casual wear.

"Yay~desu! And once I finish making my Growing Drops number 2, Kokoa-san can try them again! She'll look amazing in that outfit!" Exploded a happy Yukari.

"Y-you think so, Yukari-chan?" Asked Kokoa, hope in her eyes. If she looked good in something that classy, then it would mean she's getting closer to her big sister, right?

"Yes~desu! You were really pretty and really sexy while you took the pill! And your breast was all soft and -mmph!" And Kurumu interrupted the witch, slapping her hand over the girl's mouth.

"What have I told you about such things? Act your age for once!"

The little witch summoned a basin over the succubus' head and promptly slammed it on her. "You're just jealous of me and Moka-san winning Tsukune-san's heart and body!"

"Well, could you stop fighting for now?" Asked the boy in question as he finished making refreshments for the group. "Better not spill the coffee or something. Oh, and Kokoa-chan here's a cream soda, Moka-san said you liked it?"

Said girl cheered at the sweet drink placed in front of her. "Yay! Sweet stuff banzai!" Then looking around, she realized she was the only one not drinking coffee; even Yukari had preferred the bitter concoction. Her pride instantly flared like it was wont to do that day. "Hey! Why am I the only one not having coffee?"

Before Tsukune had time to justify it by saying it was Moka-san telling him what she liked, Kurumu had the bright idea of messing with the girl one more time. "Well, you're a kid now, kids can't have coffee."

"What are you talking about? I'm a proud vampire! I'm not a kid, I can drink coffee too, even if it's with a lot of sugar and milk!"

"That just proves my point." Said the succubus haughtily, not realizing just how annoyed the little girl was. "Doing things like that is a kid's way. Chibi!"

And then Moka had to do the exactly wrong thing. Namely pat Kokoa on the head comfortingly. "Kurumu-chan is right. You cream soda is better for you this time." She also wanted to finish by saying something like 'until your body returns to normal' or something, but she didn't get the time.

With all the fiery temper that was in her, gathering and compressing into one huge burst of frustration, the chibi-fied Kokoa exploded. "I've HAD IT!" And overturning the table with her supernatural strength, stormed off, tears in her eyes.

No one understood her. Not even Yukari-chan helped her deal with it. Hell, it was Yukari's fault to begin with! But worst of all, she was hurt by her sister; she kept babying her, treating her like a child when they were only one year apart in age. It hurt her the most because back when they really were children, her sister would always comfort her the 'vampire' way; namely by beating hear down without mercy. That held special significance for the orange-haired girl because that meant that her sister took her seriously in an entire home where no one expected anything from her.

In an entire home filled with people to talk to, only one person ever looked her in the eye.

And that same person now babied her, underestimated her and mocked her.

Her run, away from the group she thought hated and made fun of her, brought her to a clearing away from the school, a place she could vent her heart out and hate them as much as she wanted.

It was a pity that, in her rage, she didn't notice she was being followed until her pursuers showed themselves by surrounding her. And their leader was the same Karate Club jerk who called her dishonorable.

"You... leave me alone, I'm not in the mood for your stupid stunts." She said, still thinking she was in her old body.

"Eh, why would we do that, _we_'re in the mood. What you did back there, getting Haiji-teme angry at me, did you think there wouldn't be any concequences for it? Everyone here is people who didn't fit in the Karate Club and we're all here to beat the shit out of your upstard little body, you bitch!"

Realizing that they weren't going to leave her alone, Kokoa took up a basic stance to defend herself. Luckily for her, her bat wasn't going to let its master fight alone; he flew off to warn the Newspaper Club.

Back in the room Kokoa stormed off of, Moka sighed as Kurumu raged about Kokoa being a stubborn brat. "Stop it Kurumu-chan, it's not her fault... we hurt her. We tried to baby her and treat her like a child... Because Kokoa-chan is the youngest of us sisters, we always made fun of her... In our house, no one ever took her seriously. So she came to resent us... Only we treated her like equals and that's why she clinged on to us, knowing we wouldn't underestimate her... By treating her like a child while I was 'big' and 'adult', I've hurt her feelings... She wants to be known and cared for, but she wants to be cared for as herself, she doesn't want people treating her nice for being younger or a sibling..."

"Moka-san is right. Kokoa-chan is like Inner Moka-san; they are both proud warriors at heart. That's why Kokoa resents people underestimating her; she wants to earn her recognition. I can understand that a bit..." Said Tsukune, earning a nod from the younger witch. She too had realized as much.

"But..." Said Kurumu. "What can we do? When I just see her like that, she's just too cute and small, I can't treat her like an equal!"

Before they had time to argue about what they were going to do, something crashed into the large window and broke it. Looking down at the broken glass, wanting to find what did it, they saw Kou-chan with a small note hastily scrawled together; _'Help'_ it said. Knowing who the pet belonged to, the group quickly picked up the bat and asked it to show them where the girl was.

As they were going out that door however, Yukari grinned. "Well, I may have a way of fixing things..." And she took off her hat.

The clearing Kokoa was in had been quickly turned into a battlefield. Utilizing her increased agility, even if it came with a tremendous price, she moved much too fast for the attackers to get hit. At least she maintained a modicum of her true power, considering it was supernatural in origin. However, her youki had 'de-aged' with her body, which meant that it was much weaker than normal.

Kokoa knew she was in a rough spot, but she couldn't afford to ask for help from her sister, not while Moka was still 'old'. She would have to find a way to do it on her own. At least these were bullies and lacked the resolve of a true fighter. Which gave her a large edge, seeing as already they were re-considering attacking her. It 'wasn't fun any more' as some of them admitted loudly.

But, just as things were looking up, something grabbed her from her legs and she saw it was long claws leading to the hands of the same guy to rile up all these bullies against her.

"Hahaha! Thought I'd have run away by now? This isn't a matter of Karate so I can find in whatever way I want! Now get ready to pay you upstart bitch! You're gonna give us a good little show!"

And against Kokoa's greatest fears, the leader of the bullies grabbed the side of her dress and pulled, tearing it apart.

Then it stopped too suddenly and too soon to be normal and Kokoa noticed that there was blood running down the guy's forehead, blood that seemed to come out of a wound caused by a... metal card?

"Hi Kokoa-chan, I'm here to help you." Said the witch with a voice that Kokoa remembered to be much younger. It came from a body that almost made Kokoa have a nosebleed, and she was a _girl_!

A girl walked into the clearing and she was clearly an adult. Her cleavage was hardly contained in her cheerleader's outfit and the witch's hat on her head fit comfortably but giving more attention to her face. It was the hat, the haircut and the wand she held that told Kokoa who she was, and she still couldn't believe it. "Yukari-chan? What the? You took the Growing Drops?" Then she turned nasty. "Are you trying to baby me too?"

To the vampiress' surprise the witch shook her head and smiled before a puff of smoke obsucred her smoke, before dispersing and revealing her to be in a kid form as old as Kokoa's 'new' body. "Twelve minutes and thirteen seconds. Seems that's the limit of my Growing Drops. It's a failed creation~desu."

The bullies quickly regrouped, relieved in the fact that the witch had been turned from a drop-dead beauty to a weak child.

The long, sharp nails of a succubus quickly educated as to the mistake of such assumptions, especially when followed up by a yuki-onna's icy talons.

"Well, Moka sure got it right; we can't baby Kokoa like that." Said Kurumu. Kokoa's head slowly creaked over to the voice and she gawked.

"You all got turned to chidren!" And it was true; Moka, Kurumu, Mizore and even Ruby had been chibi-fied. Moka even held Kou-chan in his hammer-mode. On the sidelines, Tsukune watched on amused. He hadn't taken the Growing Drop for a very simple reason; as a Council Member, and the President at that, if he were to take part in such a fight, it could lead to several problems which could include the loss of his position.

While he didn't care about the position itself, it granted him many powers in the administrative side of things and he could use that to more effectively protect his friends. So, for now he was content to watch, though ready to interfere if any of his friends got hurt.

The scene Haiji Miyamoto walked in on was that of utter chaos.

Little girls were running around like berserk monsters, beating people up in various, imaginative ways.

He just stood there and gawked, waiting for the chaos to end.

Maybe he shouldn't have stayed there. Because, he was quickly noticed by Kokoa, still on her combat high. "Hey! That's him! The Karate Club leader! He's a lolicon!"

Poor Haiji was never noted for his superior intellect or tact, a problem that made him point at himself and ask in a completely clueless way. "Who me? Yeah, I'm a lolicon, so?"

_Big_ mistake. Being women, a hate for perverts was almost engraved into their genes and, high in adrenaline as they were, they quickly converged on Haiji, a cry in their lips. "Hentai must dieee!"

The Karate Club Leader tried to take up some form of defencive stance to protect himself, but the girls were simply so adorably cute he was lost in his lolicon fantasies and forgot to properly set up his defence.

The result? With the creation of a new technique named 'Child-only super unbeatable anti-pervert technique; RAINBOW DESTROYERRR!', he was defeated in an instant, smacked around by the various girl's weaponry, be it metal cards, metal basins, claws, hammers or the weird wing-like things Ruby used.

The bullies, the ones of them still conscious anyway, couldn't help but ask themselves; "Who are these girls anyway?"

"We're the Newspaper Club!" Was their reply and the perverts fled quickly once they noticed an adult walk in, Tsukune, who was clapping and laughing.

"Great work everyone, that'd teach them to mess with us!" He said almost tears on his eyes from the mirth.

Moka looked at Kurumu and Mizore conspiratorily and then at Tsukune who had the good sense to gulp at their pleading looks.

"Tsukune-saaan? Could you give us a ride, pleaaase?" They dragged out with doe-eyes on their faces, almost pouting at the poor boy.

"R-ride? But, I, err..." He looked at the other girls to avoid doing that before his head slumped forward in acceptance of his fate; seeing nothing but pleading children faces was too much for him. "A-alright..."

And so, Youkai Gakuen was the first place to have the spectacle of a dreaded Akuchi running around on all fours with several excited girls on his back screaming 'Faster, faster!' and other similar things.

Unfortunately for the boy, the fact that he was that gentle in his demon form sparked a whole new swarm of rumours and discussions about 'how good with children' he was or 'how good a father' he would make, much to the poor boy's chagrin.

Unfortunately for the Club's success, the rumour that the Newspaper Club destroyed the Karate Club, if it only was the leader and through underhanded ways, gave a rough reputation to the group.

On one hand, male applicants became afraid that they would be eaten, some of them even believed that _Kurumu_ of all people would do it. On the other hand, female applicants became afraid of the jeaoulsy they might invoke into the group's girls, fearing that they would begin having 'unfortunate accidents' or something in order to be kept away from the male of the Club.

Understandably, that last part didn't sit well at all with Gin, but with him being absent the group escaped most of the perverted werewolf's hazing.

The problem was that with zero freshmen applicants, the Club would begin to decline, they could even be cut off completely. After all, even if the Student Council President was in the club, even he had to abide by the rules, which meant that there would be few things he could do without inciting a lot of hate about 'controlling media' and whatnot.

It certainly brought a lot of unhappiness to the group.

So, there they were, sitting around the Club's table, debating about what they could do. That's what Kokoa saw first when she entered the club room.

"What's gotten all of you so gloomy?" She asked, though the more perceptive ones knew there was something else she wanted to talk about as well.

"Shut up brat..." Snapped Kurumu half-heartedly. She was really hurt by the rumour that she would 'eat people'. "People think I'm going to eat them! Me! It's not fair! Every applicant pulled back!"

"Yeah... looks like we're going to go under..." Moka followed up.

The vampire girl looked haughtily at the group, though even that wasn't done with true malice, not after yesterday's events. "Well, it's not like any of them were worth the trouble, they were just perverts. But, if it means that much to you... I... I'll join you." And she then turned away, lest they see her blush.

Too bad for her, it didn't work; she was instantly surrounded by the excited group and was pulled along them into a long celebration.

Said celebration also included quite a bit of alcoholic beverages, though low on overall quantity. It was still too much for Kokoa and Yukari, who were easily inebriated by the mixture, natural considering it was their first time drinking it.

The reduced inhibitions brought on by that little fact ended up in making one of the most ridiculous and embarassing conversations ever. In fact it also served as great blackmail material, or it would have had Kokoa not explained in no uncertain terms that she would kill whoever dared speak of that event.

The event being that the two inebriated girls, the witch and the vampire girl, at some point decided to admit to each other that the other's adult form was extremely sexy. Thankfully, they both fainted dead away before their conversations escalated into actions, but it still brought everyone to tears in mirth when Kokoa asked Yukari in an all-too-serious tone if 'twelve minutes are enough'. It was not that curious that for the next week, every time each of the two girls saw the other, they blushed and turned away quickly.

The next day, after homeroom was completed, Kokoa was quickly briefed in how a newspaper was written and the girl almost groaned at how much work they had to do to maintain a constant stream of papers at regular times. Thankfully, that week's paper was already well on its way.

After the appointed time was over, the girls picked up their stuff and made to leave the room when Tsukune held Kokoa back.

"Yukari-chan told me you were looking for a way to get stronger. It took me a bit to get you clearence for it, but here it is." He said and gave her a small piece paper.

When Kokoa opened the paper, she saw only a few blueprints and a small set of arrows. "A map? Instructions? What the hell is this, some treasure hunt?" She asked the boy who was on his way to following his friends out.

Tsukune looked back at her and grinned. "Nope, it's better; there's a training room there. I go there to train on the weekends with the rest of the Student Police Committee. You'd fit right in and it's going to help you get stronger. They certainly helped me get more comfortable in my transformation."

When he left, a wide grin etched itself on the girl's face. There were few things that appealed to vampires more than the chance to fight someone strong. Unknowingly, the 'baka' had just given her a great present.

Well, now she'd just have to make sure he was worthy of her onee-sama.

If only she didn't have her other mission hanging over her head. Ah well, she thought when Kou-chan reminded her, some things are more important than others, and that's what one has to aim for.

**A/N: And here's the newest chapter with a good dose of angst, anger and, what else, insanity.**

**Some of you may think that Tsukune changed too suddenly, like he had a mood swing or something. That is not completely wrong but it's not right either. Demonblooded who push their powers too much, staying in their demonic forms for too long or going in places where demonic power runs high or even give in to their Inner Demon's advice too much begin to incur what is known as Taint. Taint is both spiritual and physical degradation as the demonic powers within it run rampant. Because Tsukune got so furious, agreeing with his Inner Demon, while also releasing several links and his own Ghoul powers as well as fighting for an extended period of time, he incurred a large amount of Taint in one go. Amount that allows his Demon to alter his perception of reality. That is why he saw himself 'demonized' in the mirror, why he was so thirsty for blood, why he had that headache and why he snapped at Kurumu. Taint leaves on its own after a bit, but only small amounts. To give a perspective; Tsukune gathered a total of 3 Taint, at 10 he looses his soul. The meditations he worked on with the Headmaster as well as letting his Taint bleed off on its own played a great part in his mental recovery.  
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**Today, on this 9/6/2012, I, Soulblazer87, do hereby leave this site, possibly forever.**

**I shall not update this, or any other story.**

**I shall leave them on, however. Should you desire to follow my stories, do so in my new site of residence: www dot yourfanfiction dot com.**


	15. Village Of Thawed Hearts

_Village Of Thawed Hearts_

Mizore woke up screaming, the last vestiges of the vision that haunted her still fresh in her mind.

Her breath came out in white clouds due to the relative warmth in the room as opposed to her extremely low temperature. Her hand almost automatically went to the lollipop lieing on the nightstand next to her, though the other one rose to the side of her face, feeling the cold sweat trickling down.

"A nightmare... why, this time... it's been so long since that day... Tsukune..." And with that she fell back, only to feel the wet pillow that would need changing before she went to squeeze out what little sleep she could before having to get to the Academy.

On the wooden ornamentation next to her bed, a letter was placed, sent to her directly from another dimension, a much colder one than she was at the time. The name of the sender was her mother, Shirayuki Tsurara, reminding her of that yuki-onna all-important ritual that she was to undergo as soon as she turned seventeen, the Flower Offering ritual, the one that determined their wed lives.

Mizore sighed sadly. She wished she had more time, more time with her friends, more time with Tsukune, more time to do all the things she wanted to do.

But unlike the other Yuki-onna of her age in her village, she was under no foolish illusions; the Ceremony wasn't to pray for good marriage. It was to determine their lives from that point on for the 'survival of the Yuki-onna'.

She had after all been the only Yuki-onna not of age to have seen the Snow Priestess. She had seen the woman give out her prophesies and determined the people's lives with a cold hand and a definite order.

Shirayuki Mizore was a paradox, she was a girl of loneliness that desired company, she was of a passifistic people and yet a great warrior. But at the greatest point, she was a girl in love and that love said that no one would declare her future except her and the one she loved. From a race of passifistic, law-abiding people, she was the one who would never submit to rules, the one to make her own freedom, wrest it from the frozen hands of Destiny if she had to.

Another look at her mother's letter and a wry smirk formed on her lips as she rolled the lolipop around in her mouth a bit. "Flower Offering Ceremony huh... I wonder..."

The next day, students everywhere were complaining about the high temperature. It was way hotter than even the human world, a stark contrast to the usual not-too-warm-not-too-cold weather.

Gin was pretty much the only one to not care about it; he and his camera were working overtime snapping 'mementos' of various girls' umentionables.

Ignoring the perverted werewolf however, Tsukune sighed deeply yet again that day. As if the warmth wasn't enough, having all the troubles of a Council Member meant he had to run to and fro the entire school. Which meant he had worked up a lot of sweat, making his white shirt stick to his body.

It certainly did not annoy several girls who giggled and blushed as he passed them by, but it _did_ annoy him. Since becoming a monster himself, various senses had been sharpened to a fine degree, and one of them was scent. Add to that the fact that he showered at least a day thanks to having so much female company, and he seemed to reek of sweat to even his nose.

Admittedly however, there was a silver lining in every cloud; Moka had also worked up a sweat, which meant she also suffered from the same 'sticky shirt' curse as him.

They might not have realized it, or spoken about it, but both of them were having very similar thoughts at the moment, all of them directed towards the other. Even Inner Moka had to restrain herself from oggling Tsukune's trained body. After all, he might be riddled with scars from his multiple fights, but that only made him more attractive to her as it showed the lengths he would go in a weak, human body, much less in his newly improved one.

"Gah, it's too hot. I swear the Headmaster's pulling a prank or something!" Said Tsukune and, though that sentence sounded rather rebellious to most students, the same students also didn't know the Headmaster nearly half as well as Tsukune did; the man had a wicked sense of humour, of the practical variety. "I swear, if this keeps up, I'm going to _melt_!"

Moka giggled at his frustration, though she couldn't say she didn't also feel the heat. Especially with her being a vampire, which meant that her skin was naturally more sensitive to the sun. Still, she liked the change of temperature, even if she wished it would have been moderated a bit. "Come on Tsukune-san, it isn't that bad..." She said as she stretched, unknowingly giving a great view to the now-blushing boy.

"Maybe... maybe it's not just the heat getting to me, but also having to _run around the entire school!_" He whined, though it was obvious it was joking. He let out a deep breath as if trying to control himself. "Anyway, we've got Club activities now, right?

"Yeah, let's go. Hopefully, Mizore-chan has some ice there to cool us down."

And so it was. The entire room had been 'decorated' with ice sculptures melting slowly but keeping the room temperature at a comfortable level.

"Whew, who knew that having a yuki-onna as a friend was that useful?" Said Kurumu sending a playful look at her duet partner.

Said Yuki-onna looked almost hurt, were it not for the mirth in her eyes. "While I still have no idea what a succubus friend is good for." Came her snarky reply, making both girls giggle happily.

"But really, the place is too darn hot!" Whined Kokoa, just now entering the room and almost tackle-hugging one of the frozen creations. "It feels like melting outside!"

"If you're having that much trouble, then what about me?" Asked Mizore nonchalantly. "Without my candy, I would _literally_ melt."

"Yeah, but this way we can have all the ice-cream we can get!" Squealed Kurumu, always happy to 'use' her friend's chilly abilities to make ice-cream recipes for her Newspaper articles. That and maybe she could tempt Tsukune to eat the frozend delight with her, where unavoidably a bit of it would drip on her shirt, drawing his eyes to it so she could tempt him to lick it of and...

Kurumu's glaze-eyed giggling caused Mizore to playfully wack her on the back of her head, almost scolding her. "Focus, you sex-obsessed idiot. You can fantasize about Tsukune somewhere else."

Said boy in question shook his head in embarassement. He _should_ have been getting used to it, but every time he did, they seemed to up the ante and suddenly present him with an all-new way to make him blush. Maybe Kokoa wasn't _that_ far off on her condemnation of him being a pervert. It was a wonder he hadn't become at least as bad as Gin, something the werewolf was all too keen to scold him about. After all, in the Club Leader's opinion, being surrounded by sexy girls like that, them literally throwing themselves on you, it was the way of a coward to not at least do _some_thing with them.

Of course, the werewolf lacked the very annoying part of Tsukune's psyche that mocked and humiliated him about everything, his female friends included.

"W-well, that aside, it's been too darn calm lately. There was that prankster incident, but Kokoa-chan solved it rather easily." Said Tsukune, remembering to not do anything perverted near the vampire girl. She might be a good number of levels below him in combat strength, but if she got pissed off, she was freakin' dangerous, especially to a man's 'most important location'. Gin had learned it the hard way, it was the reason he wasn't with them at the moment, but rather recovering in the hospital wing after a failed neutering attempt with a rapier.

It was actually hard to convince the nurses and female doctors to help him after they learned what had happened to warrant the neutering; apparently he had dumped so many girls in such hearless ways that one of them tried to regain him by scaring everyone away. At least that's what the Newspaper Club wrote because the truth was much different. In order to protect the girl however, Gin took the fall, though by the time Kokoa and the others learned the truth, the neutering was well on its way.

Moka nodded at Tsukune's admission. "Yeah, it's good for things to be so calm, but we don't have much to write about..."

"Except my cooking article, don't forget my recipes!" Retorted Kurumu, who was followed promptly by Mizore. "Or my novel series article!"

On the side, Yukari sighed after trying again and again to fill up the paper pages. "No good~desu... We're missing a front page, something to say 'bang'~desu..."

"I've got an idea!" Jumped Kokoa. "We could write an article about onee-sama! And publish pictures and interviews from onee-sama! That would make the greatest edition yet!" She looked pretty convinced of it too.

And the truth is, that Inner Moka was not disagreeable to that plan too much either. After all, taking a few photos of her and an interview or two would be a matter of minutes, she looked perfect at any moment, without need of make-up or other pointless foolishness. Which would mean that she would finally get that day off, and a lot of Tsukune's true blood to boot.

"W-we'd best skip that, for now, alright Kokoa-chan?" Said Outer Moka, knowing at least part of what her Inner was feeling. "But, writing a paper isn't what I was looking forward this summer..." She sighed softly. "Maybe I had high expectations from last summer I guess..."

"Last summer, what happened then?" Asked Kokoa, a question mimicked in Mizore.

"We met Ruby-san~desu!" Cheered Yukari, extremely happy to speak of her fellow witch. "At first we were enemies but then we met her and we fought and it was _great_~desu! I wish we could have an adventure this year too!"

Tsukune shrugged his shoulders; in his opinion he had already had enough adventures to last a lifetime. Too bad Fate didn't listen to a single annoyed teenager. "I wouldn't mind another adventure, but I'd rather avoid life-threatening things, no offence Ruby-san." He said, nodding at the witch in question, who at the moment was drawing something on a handy notebook she carried with her. Probably a new dress to feed her cosplay addiction. "But I wouldn't mind going somewhere else, maybe somewhere cool, a place we could make precious memories with everyone and have lots of fun."

Mizore looked up at that. She was luckier than she had thought. This way, she wouldn't need to do any manipulation, which she was loathe to do to her friends, she respected them too much for that. "In that case... why don't you come to my hometown?" That drew a lot of weird looks from the group. While she had been a dear friend to them, she had remained anti-social even then, speaking only when necessary, or to tease Tsukune. To invite them all, it must mean she was finally coming out of her shell. "Mother sent a letter, 'Come to this summer's Flower Offering Ceremony' she said. She also said I could invite any friends I wanted too."

Kurumu had looked to be coiling herself like a... well, coil, ever since Mizore said the first word about 'hometown'. When the ice-girl finished her monologue, she leapt into the air. "Yahoo! We're going on a trip!"

It was with little surprise the trip was scheduled, much faster than normal too, considering when they were told of it. Everyone was all for it, especially when they realized that a snow-people village would be filled with, what else, snow. Lots and lots of cool, wonderful, chill snow.

Even Kokoa was overjoyed at the chance to leave the Academy. She might have been raised as a vampire, or rather because of that, but she hadn't left the mansion nearly at all before going to Youkai Gakuen. She had definitely not visited any exotic locations or the lands of another youkai species. Which meant that, to her, it was like her first big excursion. And in a sense it was, seeing as how every other time she had left the safety of her mansion, it had been to go on a mission.

It took the girls a grand total of half an hour to pack for the trip and only two minutes to board the bus.

Kurumu only waited for the driver to just sit on his seat before asking him if there was karaoke.

What surprised her wasn't the fact that in fact there _was_, but the fact he even wanted to sing as well!

The bus sped through the dimensional tunnels that could lead them anywhere they wanted to go and in the bus resonated Kurumu's voice. Even though she was mostly known for her bountiful figure, few people knew she was a great singer as well. With a happy song, she led them along almost as well as her illusions could bind them.

Ruby however decided to brief them on the trip; after all it wasn't one they could go only for fun, they were supposed to do a bit of research as well. "Alright everyone, the barrier's been heated up this way because we're in the middle of maintenance, so Headmaster was glad to give us leave. We'll be staying over at Mizore-chan's house but we're supposed to do a bit of research too. It doesn't matter what each one chooses to do, but we must present the Yuki-onna people and their customs. At least that's what we justified this trip as." Then she turned away blushing. "If you were to order me to do it though, I wouldn't mind..."

That drew quite a bit of chuckling from the entire group, though Kokoa was more annoyed than amused, had the witch no sense of shame? As things would prove a few weeks later, no, no she didn't.

Kurumu, her song finished and getting a break before starting the next, sat down next to her duet partner who was smiling softly at that time. "So, what's gotten into you? Normally, you'd just say 'I want to invite Tsukune' or something, but you asked us all. You know you can trust us right? We're friends."

Mizore didn't get a chance to reply as the Bus Driver interrupted them by revealing the fact they were almost at the end of their bus drive.

Kurumu was the first to get off the bus, almost leaping out of it. Unfortunately, she did so without looking... which means she was promptly swallowed up by the snowstorm around her.

"IT'S COLD!" Her scream caused giggling to come from Mizore; it was cold the Land Of Snow for a reason.

"W-w-w-w-why d-d-d-d-did w-w-w-we get o-o-o-off here?" Stuttered Kokoa as she tried to warm herself up, too bad Kou-chan could only turn into weapons and not clothes.

The rest of the group nodded as they tried to warm themselves by rubbing their arms and torsoes. Though, in Kurumu's case, she was rubbing _herself_ on Tsukune's torso.

The group's resident yuki-onna smiled at her friends and made a 'come here' sign with her hands. When they did, they all gasped in amazement. "I wanted you to see this."

It was a large city made out of glistening ice, all the colors imaginable reflecting off the frozen surfaces, arcs and spires of frozen water creating an architectural marvel.

"_Amazing_..." Whispered Moka in reverence and even her little sister Kokoa was speechless at seeing such a wonder.

"Come, there is a barrier that keeps most of the cold and wind outside, the temperature will ease up as we get closer to my home." said their guide, Mizore, a small smile on her lips as she rolled her lolipop around.

"Eeeh... this is too nice of you Mizore..." Said Kurumu a weird look in her normally cheery face. "You're not scheming anything with my Destined One, are you?"

The snow-girl's smile faltered for only a moment, but no one caught it. "I don't care about things like that and you know it. Besides, we're almost at home, there's Mother."

And indeed so it was. Shirayuki Mizore's mother, an elegant woman dressed in a kimono, a gentle smile on her face. Her name; Shirayuki Tsurara. A woman that could be very much like her namesake when she wanted to.

"Hello everyone, welcome to the Yuki-onna, the Village Of Snow as some like to call it. All preparations for your stay have been made. You will be leaving over there." She pointed at a far off building. Then turned to Tsukune. "You will be staying with my daughter Tsukune-kun, your and Mizore-chan's marital bed are rea- Gah!" And she was promptly stopped by Mizore tossing a kunai at her.

"Such unnecessary concerns are useless Mother, I can take care of things myself perfectly." She said, strolling slowly towards a now sweating Tsukune. The reason being the way she looked at him, swaying her hips left and right, several kunai juggled easily in her hands.

"With a mother like _that_, no wonder frost-girl turned out like _this_..." Whispered Kokoa, getting a nod from Moka and Kurumu.

"Mizore-chan," Said Tsurara as she got up from the ground. "you know why I do this. Despite our expanse of lands, we are suffering from a great decline of births. That's why I want you and Tsukune-kun to start making babies soon."

"And I'm well aware of that Mother. Which is why I say that it is pointless to concern yourself with this." Replied the ever-calm girl. The way she phrased that rang several warning bells in Kurumu's head, but the succubus trusted her friend to not use underhanded methods to get her Destined One.

Lunch was quickly served in a large table, with enough delicacies to satisfy the hunger of an entire army, much less a few teenagers. Kurumu was quick on the uptake and decided to make that her contribution on the snow-people article, seeing as she was a cooking fanatic.

"So anyway, what's that ritual you said you have to do Mizore-chan?" Asked Moka, rather curious about that fact.

Tsurara chose to answer in place of her daughter, unaware that the girl knew the true purpose behind it. "The Flower Offering ceremony is rather simple, but very important for our people. We offer a certain flower that is here known as the 'matchmaking flower', which you may know as the 'snow white'. With it, we pray for a good match in life and many children. Girls gather them from the mountain and then go to the temple. It's what you may know a 'coming of age' ritual."

"Which means!" Said Kurumu. "We have to dress Mizore up! Hee-hee! We get to play with clothes!"

"I want to dress up too!" Said Moka, various images of her in yukata and other clothes flying through her mind.

Tsurara smiled serenely at the girl. "That is easily arranged, the ritual isn't limited to our people alone. All we have to do is get you some more flowers to offer, I already have several kimono I could lend you."

"Oh and after getting dressed up, I wanna get married to Tsukune!" Squealed Kurumu, hugging aforementioned boy into her bosom, earning a glare from Tsurara.

Tsukune, partly in order to avoid getting impaled by frozen refreshments as Tsurara had threatened to do once, quickly freed himself from the girl's grasp. "I-I'm sure you'll all look wonderful. Mizore-chan too, it's rare to see you in any kind of dress."

The girl blushed at that even while Kurumu whined that she would look much better in such clothes because she had the 'assets' to go with them and sending a challenging look at the other girls, daring them to defy that claim.

Then the yuki-onna suddenly felt a very warm, very soft body overlay her own, but even the warmth didn't annoy her. It made her feel much better despite what she was going to do to the one hugging her in a mere few hours.

"Thank you _so_ much Mizore! We may be rivals in love, but we're friends first after all!"

Those words struck the girl far stronger than one might think possible and they almost tore her determination apart. But she had no choice, she knew she didn't. She had to go with her plan lest she lost everything.

Lest she lost not only Tsukune but also her dear, beloved, friends.

_That_ was something she could not, under any circumstances, no matter the reason, allow.

Which was why, after the other girls fell asleep, she shed a tear of sorrow, asking for a forgiveness she knew she didn't deserve.

Moments later, Mizore and Tsukune were walking along the vast fields of the village, still protected by their barrier. It was a breathtakig view, snow-covered hills and mountain faces covered in an endless, pure white, so strong that even in darkness it seemed to sparkle. Age-old trees stood on ageless stones, overlooking a land covered in such ice that ground became a rarity. Huge masses of snow hung precariously and yet unmoving, looming over the pair with their greatness, making them feel so insignificantly small before the power of the ancient glaciers.

It was a rough, harsh land and yet one that had an elegance one could not perceive at first.

Just like the people that drew their powers from that land.

"It's beautiful Mizore-chan... But I don't think this is what we came here for. Nor for gathering flowers, we should do that with the others in the morning." Said Tsukune, still in awe. And rightfully so as the girl seemed all the more fragile before the vastness of the land, so much smaller than usual when surrounded by her very element.

Mizore sighed, he was always too perceptive at the wrong time. She hoped he could forgive her, she couldn't live without his forgiveness for what she was about to do. "You're right... It's not. I'm... I'm so sorry Tsukune... You know, when I was a child, I used to come play here, even though it was against the rules..." Her face had taken on a sad, melancholic look. "There's a human settlement not too far from here. One of their children used to come here to play with me... I thought I liked him, I thought I even loved him..." She let out a sad, lilting laugh and he could see tears gather in the edge of her eyes. "That's why I told him to come meet me here when we would be seventeen, just like today... He... he called me a monster... That's why I... that's why I went after our gym teacher back in Youkai Gakuen, he looked so much like him..."

"Mizore-chan... It's alright they didn't know you..."

"No, it isn't... I just have no sense with men, I just keep on picking the wrong ones... So, that's why I'm so scared right now... I'm so scared that I'm going to loose someone-" She would have said more, had not two arms encircled her, wrapping her in a hug that, despite being warm, did not make her feel uncomfortable. If anything, it felt like the safest sanctuary in the world.

"That's why I said it's alright. They didn't know you. They saw the outside Mizore-chan, the shy, somewhat anti-social, beautiful Mizore-chan." He turned her around to look at her and she could see a never-ending sadness in his eyes. "I know better. I know you're also kind, brave, cool and while you have your own weaknesses, they just make you better in my eyes. They didn't know you, I do. I know you are a great person, a person I respect and want to protect. I will protect you Mizore-chan, even if I have to give my life... I will make sure you're safe."

Mizore's head leaned forward and she placed her forehead on his own, letting her chill embrace them both in a swirl of snow that brought no harsh chill to them. "I know Tsukune... I know... But that's-"

They were both forced to leap away as the land below their feet exploded outwards.

"MIZOREEE!" Screamed a voice filled with fury, Kurumu's voice. "How dare you do this to me, to us? How dare you betray our friendship!"

Tsukune was rather surprised by that. What did the succubus mean? "Kurumu-chan, what's wrong? Mizore-chan didn't betray anyone!"

"No, they're right Tsukune... I betrayed their trust... I lured you all here with an ulterior motive..." The yuki-onna offered no remorse for her actions. "But for now, let's run. Hang on to me!" And she pulled him strongly, which due to the slippery surface made him loose his balance and stumble on the snow-girl. Her agility was not for show however and she quickly made a snowboard out of hard ice under their feet, using it to run away from the furious girls.

"M-Mizore-chan, what are you doing?" Tsukune's voice came out almost like a frightened squeal, but that was mostly due to the rough slope they were climbing down on.

"Hush, Tsukune, soon you will know..." Mizore's voice held nothing of her usual monotone. It was part excited, part frightened and part something else that he couldn't identify.

That scared him far more than going down an icy slope at speeds a werewolf would be proud of ever could.

It was thanks to that speed they vanished from an infuriated Kurumu's sights far too fast for them to follow. Which was a good thing in a sense, because it enabled Moka to make Kurumu stop shooting randomly, reminding her why they had received the snow-gun in the first place. "Stop it Kurumu-chan, the gun's for that monster that appears, besides, you could hit Tsukune-san or make an avalanche!"

"So what should I do? Let her get away with him? She tricked us Moka! She betrayed us! She took Tsukune to win him with tricks rather than do it the way we all do! I hate her! I hate her so much!" Replied to furious succubus, tears i her eyes. It wasn't the fact that Tsukune would choose Mizore, it was the fact that Mizore had chosen the wrong way to do it, the wrong way to make him love her. The same way that enticed Kurumu to use to get her Destined One, the same way that she denied herself, the way of taking his choice away from him.

"I might have a way~desu..." Said Yukari, taking Tsukune's Know-Know-kun charm from her hat. "I learned some Divination spells from Mom, I may be able to track him down without Ruby-san's help, but be quiet~desu."

"Then hurry up you brat! Every second you waste is another that-mph!" Moka had quickly placed her hand over the angry succubus' mouth to make her stop her tirade.

Yukari quickly focused on the completely white charm, a sign that he at least was in no danger, though it did little to calm their nerves.

Unfortunately, she didn't get much time to connect to the charm because a monster suddenly leapt from the very snow around the group.

The girls went flying as large palms swatted them away, though thankfully they were not hurt by its large claws.

Kokoa righted herself in the air and her faithful bat took on the form of a longsword as she placed herself protectively in front of Moka, telling the pinkette to back off at the same time. Kurumu used one hand to grab the flying Yukari by the girl's cape and the other hand to aim shakily at the shadowed monster and fire a round from her snow-gun. The iceballs impacted it lightly on the side but the kickback from the weapon almost tore it off the girl's hand and she knew she had to use both hands to have any chance of reliably hitting it.

**"Wrong..."** It growled as it stepped into the moonlight, revealing its yeti-like form. **"You're... wrong... Not the one I'm looking for..."**

Then it seemed to break away into a swarm of crystals made of ice and fly away through the surrounding forest.

"Get back here damn you!" Shouted Kokoa, irrate at being ignored like that. "The fight isn't over yet!"

"Let it go, Kokoa-chan. For now, Tsukune-san is more important. Yukari-chan?" Said Moka, trying to calm her sister.

"Yes~desu, give me a moment!" Said the witch as she focused. They all knew it was bad the second her face went ashen and her eyes snapped open. "The monster~desu! It's heading towards Tsukune-san~desu!"

"What? How dare it attack my Destined One!" Raged an already pissed off Kurumu. "That's it! I'm taking him and going back to the Academy!" And she set off, stomping the snow. She didn't think there was a way to get angrier.

She would learn that in fact, there _was._

In the meantime however, Tsukune and Mizore ended up their fast slide much lower than where they started, so low in fact he couldn't even see the lights of the ice-city.

"Mizore-chan? Where are we?" He asked her once the girl let go of him. It was a valid question seeing as how she had purposefully steered them that way.

"This... is the Snow-white field... This is where I lost my first friend..." She didn't voice her concern of loosing her newer friend as well.

With slow motions, the yukata-clad girl picked up one of the pure white flowers. She held it up in front of her chest. "Tsukune, did you know... we yuki-onna are a very stubborn race... and, beyond that, we have a problem, a reason behind our declining population." She held up the flower in front of her as if examining it. "A yuki-onna can only have children when she is very young... that's why, that's why being seventeen is coming of age to us... an age where we have to get married and start giving children immidiately..."

Tsukune flinched. He couldn't help it; it was a horrible fate. To be turned into nothing more than a child-producing machine, just for the propagation of her race. "Mizore-chan..."

"So that's what the Flower Offering Ceremony is for... we are given our matches, husbands that we will marry..."

"What?"

"Yes... there is no romance in this land... everything is given up to the people, for the sake of our province... I turn seventeen tomorrow... my match has probably already been found..." She almost cried at that admission, but she kept on, turning her eyes, more expressing than words could ever be and the boy in front of her saw a burden almost as painful as his own. "So please... even if just today, I won't ask anything more of you... just today, please... love me... take me as your lover..." With a soft breath, the pollen of the flower, a powerful hallucinogenic with high aphrodisiac qualities was sent towards the human male in front of him.

Mizore could see it take effect, in the way his eyes darkened, so different from rage. She could see it in the way his muscles tightened, the way he seemed to be holding himself back.

She smiled sadly, she hated it almost as much as she hated herself. She didn't want to do this, to take away his choice, take away his freedom this way. It would be little more than rape, only different by the fact that the flower would at least make him feel good.

But it wasn't enough. It just wasn't enough! She didn't want him to take her under the effects of a flower! That would make her nothing more than a whore and him nothing more than a beast!

She wanted him to love her! She wanted him to make love to her, not have sex with her! She didn't want it!

She hated it!

And so she cried, because she knew she had no choice. Her time was running out.

There, his arms rose around her and she knew it was over. He had lost his control, he was under the effects of the flower.

The belt of her kimono needed only one tug to become undone and her dress almost fell from her shoulders as her naked body was presented in all its ethereal beauty.

The arms wrapped around her and Mizore froze at the feeling of warmth seeping into her, a warmth so different than the one she hated.

"I'm sorry Mizore..." Said Tsukune and the girl gasped at hearing her name with no suffix. "But I can't..."

Her heart broke but she could see the same on his face, on tears that became parts of the snow that swirled around the young couple.

"W-why? Why not?" She asked, implored him to tell her, to let her know what she did to be so bad that he had to rebuff her, what was it on her that wasn't to his liking even with the Snow-white's effects. What she had done to repulse him so.

But his hand reached at her cheek and his tears burned hot, leaving steaming lines on his face. "You're so perfect... You're such a nice, caring person... I _know_ you Mizore, I know how much you care, how afraid you are right now... But I'm so sorry, I can't do that... I... I'm not the one you should aim for. You deserve so much better than me..."

Her breath hitched in her throat, cutting her soft sobs in an instant, letting her feel his own chocked mourning.

"I would love few things more than to be with you, or Kurumu, or Moka... But I can't... I can't bring this burden on you, I can't, not when you deserve someone so much better than I could ever be..." His voice touched something deep in her and she knew it was her heart. In that moment she saw how fragile he was as well, how afraid he was. How brave he was, to admit his fears. "I don't know if I even love you, not when I feel the same things for them as well and you deserve someone that can love you fully, truly and with no restraints. So... so I can't, you see? I can only be your friend, that's all I can ever be... Because I want you to be happy, I can't bring you my burden. You're just too good for a cursed thing like myself." There, he had said it. That admission he could not make to anyone but her mother and even then under threat, had been made. His secret fear, his secret pain, had been revealed.

The yuki-onna made leaned towards him, whispering his name, wanting to steal a kiss, but she never made it.

A hand, large, clawed, furred, wrapped around her and pulled her away, her arms still reaching out for the one she loved so deeply. Her whisper came as a cry even as she was pulled away in a snowstorm made by no natural force and the despair on his face was the last thing she saw before her world faded to a perfect, blinding white.

"Mizore!" Tsukune's voice cut the wind, trying to reach her.

His battle form exploded outwards and his youki made the snow explode outwards, it not able to even come close to his rage-filled body, almost burned away.

**"GIVE HER BACK!"** With a mighty leap, he followed after the shadow that had grabbed his friend, his Mizore as the demon told him, but he only caught that; shadows. The monster was already gone and with it a part of Tsukune's heart.

"Tsukune-san!" Moka's voice reached him and he turned, his form already being restored to normal. The girl looked around sharply. "Wait, where's Mizore-chan?"

"Yeah, where's the traitor, where did she... Tsukune? Why are you crying?" Asked a very frightened Mizore.

"It took her... that monster took her... it took her from me... I couldn't react in time and it took her away..." He said and an unspeakable anger, mixed deeply with resentment, boiled beneath his skin. "We must hurry, we must get her back! Now!"

"Yukari-chan? Can you track her down?" Asked Moka, hoping that the girl's charms would help them.

But the witch shook her head. "Impossible~desu... Tsukune-san was hard to reach and he has an extremely large and unique type of youki. I can't track Mizore-san, not without Ruby-san, but she's back at Tsurara-san's. Tsukune-san, how did the monster look? We met one too, maybe they are connected?" The witch didn't believe in coincidences, especially those that made rabid monsters target only specific prey.

"Ugh..." He groaned, trying to make out the details from the split second he got to see of it. "It was large, almost as big as my battle form, with white fur and large hands... like what humans call a 'yeti'..."

The group looked at each other. "That's the one we met as well!" Said Kurumu, more afraid for her former friend than annoyed at her. "Which means..."

"It's targetting for a reason." Finished Kokoa, her bat already scouting around, using its sonar senses to try and find a way back to civilization. "That at least gives us time. It means it has a purpose; we could go back to safety and get Ruby with us. Maybe even that creepy Bus Driver guy, or even Tsurara-san, she looked like she could fight." And indeed the woman looked very skilled, able to fire a snow bullet right between their legs with less than a second to aim and in semi-auto mode at that.

"What are we waiting for then?" Asked Tsukune, already feeling that every moment away from the girl was one more mortal danger she could be in. "Who knows what it's doing to her?"

Yukari hurried to calm him down, knowing full well what could happen if his rage remained unchecked. "Look at this Tsukune-san." She said, revealing Mizore's completely white Know-Know-kun charm. "At least this way we know she's safe. It's only when it darkens that she'd be in danger and only black shows mortal danger. It means we have some time. Still, we should hurry back to Tsurara-san's home. We must organize a rescue party!"

With little disagreement, the group was off, using Kou-chan's sensory abilities and quick flight to lead them through the cold land and away from the minature snow-storms that seemed to erupt for only a few seconds before calming.

But the girl they were looking for was not alone, nor was she with a beast. She found herself in the most unlikely of places once the blinding whiteness left her.

A palace, a palace made of ice. The Snow Priestess' palace, she knew it from the time, the sole time, she had sneaked in to see that all-important Flower Offering Ceremony, only to flee scared at the revelation of what her fate would be.

"Awake at last, child. It is good." A regal voice came from behind her and Mizore turned sharply, seeing the ruler of the land in all her glory. "I apologize for the abrupt way I have invited you here, but I have been looking for you for a very long time, I could not afford to wait another moment." She said and looked down at the girl who met her gaze unflinchingly. "You are seventeen. There is no need to offer a flower; your match has already been found. Rejoice, for you have saved your race a great doom."

"What? What are you talking about?" Asked Mizore, more than a bit infuriated at being taken away from Tsukune. Especially when she was about to kiss him!

"Simple." Another voice came from the side. This one was male, velvety and it made the girl _sick_. "I am pleased to meet you, my girl of destiny. I will take great care of you."

Mizore turned to the Snow Priestess and the woman almost flinched at the emotions that were burning behind these azure-blue eyes. "Are you telling me _he_ is to be my husband?"

The ruler nodded regally. "Yes, you will marry him. It will be a good life and you will have many offspring. Also, in going with him, you will guarantee the survival of our-"

"Ha... hahaha..." Mizore began laughing. It certainly drew looks of surprise. "Marry him? Marry _that_?" She asked incredulous but also amused. "You're wrong Snow Priestess! I will not marry that scum!"

"What?" Said the Priestess and she was as angered as she was surprised. Her rule had never been challenged before.

"I said you're wrong. I will _not_ marry him. There is another who holds my heart and he will come for me, Priestess! You took me from his arms but he will come from me. Because unlike _you_" She spat. "he cares for me and every one of his friends. Tsukune _will_ come and then the both of you will know what it means to go against him! I will not submit to your rule of fate. I am me, Shirayuki Mizore and this has been the last straw! You may think me under your command like every other of my race, but I know the truth! There is no Fate, only Destiny and you will learn that lesson too."

With courage that she had found in her darkest moment, Shirayuki Mizore got up from the floor she had been placed and in her movements was an otherworldly grace. She spared a look to only show the 'ruler' of the land that she was in fact not even a speck of dust before her determination and she stepped past the shell-shocked 'fiance' that had been arranged for her.

"Fear the howl of the demon." She said, something that stemmed from a part of her she had never felt before and a being inside the Priestess gasped in abject terror. "For it will show you an end and a begining! I am not afraid any more, I have lost it all and only have up to go. I wonder, Snow Priestess, can _you_ say the same?"

And then she was gone, off to one of the many quarters she knew there were for guests, even if they were never used. Guards tried to stop her but after most of them were frozen solid, they instead preferred to show her the way rather than try and restrain her.

In that room, Mizore looked out the window, towards the village, the place she knew Tsukune to be. _"Please hurry, Tsukune... I don't know what I should do..."_ She prayed.

A knock on her door snapped her out of her prayer and she scowled when she saw who it was. It was her 'fiance', in all his slimy glory. He felt worse than when Gin was trying to woo a girl, and that was saying something.

The male visitor looked at the girl and smirked. "I didn't get to introduce myself properly. My name is Fujisaki Miyabi. Seeing your determination, how about a bet? If your little boyfriend comes here and takes you away, then I'll let you go. If he fails however, you will become my perfect wife."

The girl sneered at him. "How about a counter-offer. Leave and I won't spear you through and leave your body for the wolves." She didn't feel the courage she displayed, but she wasn't about to let that guy threaten her.

Unfortunately for her, he wasn't one to let threats go by either. In a moment he was in front of her, pushing her to the window too close for her. "I don't like things that aren't perfect and you're too flawed. I don't like your resistance. You _will_ obey me and you will enjoy it." Then he was kissing her, taking away one of the things she would never give another man; her first kiss.

He was about to get educated on how wrong that was and the one to teach that lesson didn't have to be there at all.

In fact, Tsukune was in the other side of the village, pacing up and down frantically as he tried to get the two witches to hurry up with their divinations. Next to him, Tsurara was serving them some tea to calm them down. She too was anxious and it was visible in the way her motions were mechanical, as if restraining herself from going out in the dark snowstorm and look for her daughter, snow gun in hand, and tear whoever it was that abducted her into target practice.

Then her phone rang, a line she had managed to set up by visiting the human settlements nearby often. When she picked up the phone and heard who it was, the entire house became frozen.

"Ah yes, I see. Thank you very much." She said pleasantly, but that was only in voice. Her face belied a fury that rivaled Tsukune.

"Who was it?" He asked anxious, not to mention worried at what could make the woman react that badly.

"The one who took Mizore-chan wasn't a monster. It was the Snow Priestess herself."

"What? Why would she do that?"

"I... have no idea..." admitted the woman as she looked outside, nostalgic. "We all obey her will because she is a Prophet, able to see the future. No one denies her because we believe she has our good at heart... But things aren't going well, as you can see. Her edicts are hardly understood any more. It's like she is frantic about something. Also, why would she kidnap Mizore when she would be seeing her tomorrow anyway? The Flower Offering you see, it isn't to offer a flower, that would be stupid. No, it's a ritual through which the Snow Priestess selects who we are to marry."

"What?" Screamed Kurumu. "Are you saying we could be getting married tomorrow? Are you saying that Mizore would be getting married tomorrow?"

"Yes, that's how things are done here. To combat the declining birth-rate, girls have to marry soon to give birth to children while they can... But, why would she do this when she could have given Mizore away tomorrow anyway?" Asked the woman.

Kokoa was the one to voice her thoughts. "Maybe because something is wrong. I mean, if she is a Prophet, then that means she can see the future, which would mean she would have a lot of time to prepare. This seems rather rushed, don't you think?"

"Yes~desu." Piped up Yukari, looking up from her charms. "If she can truly see the future, then she would have had a lot of time to prepare instead of doing things like that. But, I can't understand why Mizore would also react like this?"

Tsurara sighed. "Because, unlike the other girls of the village, Mizore-chan is very headstrong and refuses to be caged." She said with a soft smile that turned into a scowl. "She also knows the truth, she snuck inside the Priestess' castle a long time ago, so unlike the other girls, she knows that it is all a way to more effectively control us. I think that's why she took Tsukune-san away; a last attempt to be with him before she would be sent off to a loveless marriage, like everyone else in the village, like me."

Then the girls began to understand the snow-girl's actions. If that were true, then she was under a time limit she could not overcome.

"No, that's not it." The refusal came from the most unlikely source, causing all eyes to home in on him and the sorrowfull look on his face. "She didn't do it for just that. Don't you know Mizore-chan? She's always so cool and calm, she wouldn't do something like that so suddenly. No, she did it because she felt she had no choice, she was afraid. She was scared she would never see us, her friends, again. It tore her up in the inside. Even when she tried to drug me with that flower, she hated it. She didn't want me to fall to it, but she felt she had no choice. Better to have what she wanted one time rather than have it out of her reach forever." Then his anger began to flare. "When is it, when is the one she's matched to coming?"

"That's the most worrying thing..." Said Tsurara. "He's already here. Also, she said that he'd be taking part in Mizore's 'bridal training' personally..."

"Bridal training?" Asked Kurumu, though she trembled the answer.

"Yes... they are going to 'train' her to be a good wife... They are going to..." Tsurara's voice stopped and they knew she was as terrified as every one of them. "I can't do anything... They are going to take away my daughter and turn her into a good, obedient servant wife..." She said a heavy feeling of dread in her chest.

"What did you say?" Tsukune's voice reached Tsurara's ears only less than a split second before she realized that feeling of dread she was feeling was in fact his _youki_. "Train her? Take her? Mizore?" It was not just anger in his voice. First he had to see her so fragile, almost broken. Then she offered herself to him, _him_, and he didn't do anything. Then she was taken away by a monster, a monster that he now knew to be the cause of the Snow Priestess. A Priestess who ruled her land in the vague name of a Prophecy, dictating their lives with a cold hand while she slept in her little palace away from all others. It was too much. It was too much and his youki resonated with his emotions as it exploded around him, a torrent of power.

Demonic energy wrapped around him like a cloak of evil darkness, a black flame of wrath and vile fury that would incinerate all it touched.

"Ts-Tsukune..." Kurumu's breathless whisper notified Moka that something was _very_ wrong. And that was the contradicting feelings she was reading from her Destined One. She could _feel_ it. She could feel an emotion so strong as to enable a man to brave the flames of Hell itself, a feeling so pure, so unadulterated she only had one name for it, a name used so often that people forgot how important, how powerful and unique it was.

But she could also feel, with the same certainty, a fury the likes of which she had never even imagined before. Even second-hand, she was feeling almost like being drowned in an endless sea of wrath, a wrath so unholy she believed nothing could hold back. If Tsukune's emotions enabled one to brave the flames of Hell, then this wrath _was_ these flames!

"S-s-s-s-synchronization..." Stuttered Ruby, just as breathless. "Tsukune-san's human emotions and his demonic instincts... they are... they have become one..." Had the Headmaster been there, he might have had a heart attack.

A condition that seemed awfully close to Tsurara as she witnessed Tsukune's fury. She almost felt pity for the Snow Priestess. Almost; because there was no way in hell she would feel pity for the one to take away her daughter's chance at happiness.

Moka and the other girls of the house noticed twitches running under Tsukune's skin, muscles contract rapidly, small protrusions of bone running up and down his flesh as he held his hand before his face, nails turning to claws and barely concealing his burning orange-red eyes.

Teeth became fangs and the youki intensified, reaching heights of potency that left everyone but Tsukune reeling.

How, _how_ could he hold something like _that_ back? Kokoa was the first to admit her respect to the human, but now even Inner Moka knew that he deserved that and much more.

**"Mine."** Tsukune's voice was distorted by the raw youki he was emitting. That single word was the core of both Tsukune and his Inner Demon.

An Inner Demon that, while a hateful and vile being, was also very possessive. It might have thought little of Tsukune's friends, considering them more playthings than something to be respected in any way, but they were _it's_ playthings! They were _it's_ and it's _alone_ and no one else's!

Tsukune's youki seemed to compress in him and the couch that supported him creaked from the raw energy, rapidly disintegrating at the touch of a power more vile than anything that had ever set foot in the village before.

Then it reached the girls' ears. A low, rough, angry growl that grew in intensity, becoming from a deep rumbling into a low roar and then a defeaning roar.

Tsukune's roar of unfathomable fury reached the Snow Priestess' palace and even the spirit held within her trembled in fear at what that contained.

Miyabi, too, felt it and it was what caused him to stop his advances on the snow girl captive. Because what scared him the most wasn't the sound, it was the emotions that sound contained, an ageless challenge from an apex predator, a _king_ and _emperor_, that and the fact that Mizore didn't seem scared at all. She only seemed saddened as she realized who's voice it was and then said a single name that made Miyabi realize that they might have miscalculated.

It was the name of the one that Mizore had claimed would come.

A roar of vile wrath echoed over the entire land and no predator dared close in the buildings of ice.

And some people couldn't understand why that roar sounded like both untold terrors and nightmares but also like it would bring them a new era.

In Tsurara's home, with Tsukune sufficiently calmed after he released the pent up fury he was feeling, at both the laws of the place, the fear of loosing his beloved friend and his own inability to protect her, he looked at his friends.

"I don't know what you're going to do, but there's no way I'm letting them take her. She _begged_ me. She did what she hated and despised the most for just a shred of happiness in her life. I'm not letting it continue. I'll protect her even if I have to _kill the Snow Priestess!_" He declared it and almost went out the door, leaving the girls stunned. It was rare to see him riled up to this extent.

Then a hand touched Tsukune's shoulder and pulled him back before he opened the door. "Don't go Tsukune-san." Said Tsurara and gave him the mother of all evil smirks. "Not yet at least. If they take Mizore, they will have to wait a bit before begining the training and, if I know my darling daughter, even then they will have trouble taking her. I trained her after all, I would know. Nothing is going to happen until tomorrow morning at least. So, until then, we need a plan, am I correct?" She said turning to the other girls, who were already getting ready to follow Tsukune out, even Ruby.

Kurumu huffed. "The idiotic stalker-onna... that's why I told her she needs to be more direct in her approach. Look at it now, we're gonna have to save her ass from an entire palace filled with guards and monsters and whatnot."

Kokoa smirked at that. "All's the more fun then! Cry havoc and let loose the dogs of war!" She cried happily, twirling Kou-chan in sword form around effortlessly.

"Of course!" Said Moka. "Mizore-chan is our friend. We're not letting go of her. Especially to a loveless life like this."

"Right~desu! We're the Newspaper Club and we take care of each other!" The little witch finished, brandishing her heart-shaped wand like a rapier.

Ruby would have said a piece too, but she was already lost in her fantasies after seeing Tsukune decide to take command.

"Well, in that case, I can help." Tsurara almost giggled. "Make room on the table, it's time to bring out the big guns!"

It was almost scary the way she said it.

And with good cause because almost immidiately after that declaration, she had brought out a set of blueprints from under a desk, blueprints of the Palace that is, forbidden plans of the entire complex. They didn't even want to know how she had those, and it was one of the least surprising moments.

With a pen, the eldest Shirayuki began drawing circles and arrows all over the paper. "The ceremony tomorrow is our best bet for entry. See these circles? That's weakpoints in the security, I told them but they refused to listen. Anyway, the guest rooms are in the east wing and the ceremony takes place in the west. So, we'll need two teams. Team one should be in the west team and make a lot of mess and draw attention. Kokoa-chan is ideal for that. Then, the second team will go after my daughter, using the trouble as a distraction to extract her. Here and here," She said tapping two points. "are extraction points; if you go there, a long slide will lead out outside and in a single point I will be able to get you away safely, especially if the Bus Driver is there. Anyway, the second team will need at least one good fighter, just in case, and probably Kurumu-chan as well, since you can disable opposition silently."

Then she got off the map, leaving the teenagers to gawk at her and the professionalism she did everything in. The snow-woman went to the side of a library and began pushing to the side. Tsukune almost made to help her move it when it seemed to slide off on wheels and reveal... a weapons cache hidden behind it.

"And these are your weapons. Snow guns, custom made, low lethality, low to medium range, high accuracy, extended clips." She said as she locked and loaded a handgun. "Try not to aim for the head though; they can still break a bone."

"Where did you get all that stuff?" Screamed Kokoa.

Tsurara only gave them a close-eyed look before going back to her work; arming the weapons. "Before I was taken in for my bridal training, I was much like Mizore-chan. I wanted to be free and fall in love. She took it from me and instead gave me a loveless marriage that didn't even give me the children I wanted. I had to suffer through several decades with a cheating husband, in a warm country and unable to even perform the duty that was forced on me." Her eyes glinted dangerously. "There's absolutely no way in hell I'm letting her take my baby girl away from me and into that situation. I'd skin her alive if I got the chance, but she never reveals herself to us. Were it not for the ceremony, most of us would have thought her to be dead already. As for the guns? Before I was trained to be a wife, I wanted to be a spy. They never managed to quite beat that out of me, so after my _dear husband_ met an unfortunate end, I started this collection. Any more questions?"

Kokoa gulped and shook her head. The way the woman said about 'unfortunate accident' was enough to clue her to a simple fact; Tsurara might look kind and happy and cheery, but if you pissed her off, she would bury you in ice with

the same happy, cheery smile. And now, she was a mother, with all that entailed, who stood to loose her child. Understandably, she was very upset, almost as much as Tsukune.

But right after that, the entire serious atmosphere was destroyed. The reason being that Tsurara pulled a large wig from a closet and began approaching Tsukune while fluffing it.

Seeing that glint in her eyes, Tsukune began backing off. "Tsurara-san, what are you doing? What is that wig for?"

"Well," She said with an all-too-pleasant smile on her face. "men are impossible to enter the shrine. So we have to disguise you as a girl. Don't worry, you have really pretty skin so it's going to be alright with a bit of makeup!"

The boy tried to make a break for the exit but it was quickly covered in sharp ice, just like every other exit in the house, including windows and even the small fireplace.

Tsukune gulped.

Tsurara leapt.

A few seconds later, the winner was determined and the looser was left to grouch with a long, blonde wig on his head.

"Awww, Tsukune! You look so cute!" Squealed Kurumu as she tackled him again.

Said boy looked at every person in the household with a cold look. "If this gets out the Headmaster won't be able to save you!"

It only made Kokoa laugh harder as she looked at his murderous face. "Maybe now you should leave Onee-sama alone and go have pedicure with nee-chan!"

Not one to let such good opportunities go by, Kurumu squealed. "And we could go looking for clothes!"

"I could even make a potion to make the change permanent!" Laughed Yukari.

Divided between pity for Tsukune and endless mirth at the way he looked, Moka tried to play peacemaker, lest the volcano exploded. "C-come on everyone! Stop teasing Tsukune-san! It's not nice!" She still couldn't stop her giggling.

"Moka's right, this isn't about fun. Tomorrow you will go save my daughter. For today you will sleep while I check the weapons and get you permits." Spoke Tsurara who, though amused at the situation also couldn't help but want her daughter to be there with them.

The atmosphere was quickly subdued after that and fun ceased. Only a tense feeling was in the air, the sort caused when people are about to devote their entire existence into a single cause.

To one Shirayuki Tsurara, it was glorious, being there with them.

If only it didn't take her daughter being taken away for it to happen.

The next day, several yuki-onna, all of young age, were moving towards theor ruler's palace, there to take part in the ceremony that would help them with their lives and give them lots of children to restore their race. Not one of them was aware of what would really happen.

Not any of the _yuki-onna_ that is. Because there wasn't just snow-women in that group.

As the gathering entered the colossal ice building, five people smiled to each other in victory. First part; entering, complete.

It was of course the easiest part. The harder part would begin soon and even that would not compare to the last one.

Still, they moved on, they had to do it, they had to risk it all to save their friend.

Entering the frozen complex was easy enough; Tsurara was a professional in many arts, including that of forgery. Their passes were perfect and their disguises just as well made, enabling the group of teenagers to sneak in. Even Yukari, her being too young to take part in the ceremony, found it easy to enter by using a simple charm from her succubus friend, tricking the guards' eyes.

With the group safely inside, they seamlessly split in two groups. The infiltration group consisted of Tsukune, Kurumu and Yukari, while the distraction (and possible _de_str_u_ction) group was made up of Moka, Kokoa and Ruby. Each and every one of them was armed to the brink under their kimono and it was only Tsurara's expertise that allowed them to conceal their weaponry without bulges.

So, while one group discreetly made for one side of the large room they were in while being briefed into the nature of the ritual, the other one headed for the other side and played a great part in acting like they needed to go to the toilet.

Mere moments later after the distaction group left the room, several loud gunshots echoed around the building several explosions rattled the elegant structure.

It had began.

Using the ensuing chaos as a very good cover, Tsukune and the others ran off as fast as they could, heading towards where Mizore would be kept, using Yukari's sharp mind to keep them aware of all shortcuts and proper direction.

It was a good day to have eidetic memory.

Running through the corridors, Kurumu almost smiled. "Tsurara-san's plan is a great success, Moka and the others are really making a mess back there!"

And so it was. Though it was more Kokoa's doing rather than the more mild-mannered Moka or Ruby. The fire-haired vampire was laughing maniacally as she leapt around, shooting wildly in the midst of death-defying acrobatics.

She couldn't help it; it was a fight and such things always made her blood flow. And on the topic of blood, she smirked slyly. Right before leaving that day, Tsukune had given them all a bit of his own youki-enhanced blood and she could feel it in her stomach, wanting to burst in power. However, she knew it was their last resort and didn't use it like she wanted to.

"Kokoa-chan! Don't move so fast! We need to make it last!" Cried out Moka behind cover as she unleashed a few shots from her snow-guns, but even she could admit it was kinda fun.

The other group took a sharp left turn and suddenly froze. They had expected no resistance, but there it was. Kurumu was ready to blast the other man's mind with her illusions, but he raised his hands almost in surrender.

"Whoa, there, calm down. I'm not from here, I'm not going to fight you. I'm more of a lover, if you get my point." He smiled in a way that would normally be considered seductive at the succubus, but she only saw a slimy snail.

"Then move out of our way, we don't have time to deal with you." Said Tsukune, wanting to get it over with as fast as possible. Fast meant less chances of his friends getting hurt after all.

"Oh, then you must have an objective, rather than being mere vandals. And I'm assuming it's a girl named Shirayuki Mizore?" He looked critically at them and then smiled. "Well, I'm so sad to tell you that there's nothing you can do about it. You see, in order to ensure the loyalty of this village, my organization requested an exchange; a prisoner in the place of this land's destruction. Fair trade no? That prisoner is Shirayuki Mizore. She will make a wonderful wife to the man to get her."

"Organization? Destruction? As if we care about that! We just want our friend back!" Screamed Kurumu and her nails began to slide out, ready to cut this disgusting man down.

"I said, there's nothing you can do about it. You'd only be able to see her if you joined our organization, but I don't think that would be happening."

Tsukune had had it. He had been forced through a nightmare-filled sleep where his imagination ran him through all kinds of torture Mizore would suffer, through all the scenarios his Demon could think of to destroy her unique spirit and turn her into a loyal, submissive wife. **"SILENCE!"** He roared as his wig flew off at the force of his demonic energy being unleashed. "I'm taking her back. You can let us pass, or you can die."

"Stop it Tsukune..." A sad, low voice, a girl's voice, reached them from behind the surprised man. On a flight of stairs stood Mizore. "Don't come any further, please... this man will hurt you... so please, go back and leave me here... I've been violated by him already..." Then the ice-girl seemed to break away into flakes of ice and the group knew it was a mere clone. The head was the last part to break into nothingness and the soul-less, broken eyes of Mizore pierced Tsukune's heart like enflamed, poisoned bolts.

"Violated her? Who does that little bitch think she is?" Said the man, making the big mistake of drawing an enraged Akuchi's attention to himself. Miyabi had already convinced himself, with the Priestess' aid of course, that the roar last night had been a rabid monster rather than a true challenge. And even if it was a challenge, why would he be afraid? He was a high-ranking member of Fairy Tail. If they could extort an entire race, what threat could a single monster be? "She should really get a hold of herself, I only kissed her and groped a bit. Really her freaking out was a big turn-off. Liked the way she squirmed though, she'd make a-Ugh!"

A fist had planted itself firmly into his stomach and bones snapped. Another punch came into the side of his face and Miyabi's neck almost snapped.

Tsukune shook with rage, his youki creating an aura that looked like a flame of Hell taking the shape of his monster form, overlapping his own.

"You... touched... Mizore..." There was naught but fury in his voice and Kurumu, the only one in those present able to feel his emotions even faintly recoiled. It felt exactly like last night, only there was no sign of that pure emotion that suffused Tsukune before. This was all fury. This was the collective wrath of a demon in a human and a human with a demon's soul.

Mayhaps Miyabi should have ran. Mayhaps he should never have come. Mayhaps he should never have even accepted the invitation in the organization.

But now it was too late. He had invoked something terrible, he had overstepped that boundary one last time.

Reap what you sow. What you do shall be done upon you thrice over.

He had never believed in these words of wisdom, thinking them below someone like him.

But now, seeing that demon manifest into the real world, a being ripped out of nightmares even he could not dream of, he tried to apologize, he tried to save what he could of his life.

Pity that words of such lowlives do not register to demons.

Tsukune fell upon the man's prone form with a vengeance he had rarely felt. He pinned the man to the ground and followed an instinct that resided in another part of himself, a part he rarely called forth.

His vampiric side.

Tsukune bit into Miyabi's neck and the man screamed in unimaginable pain. For Tsukune drained not blood, but Miyabi's very essense of life, he drained him and it was the worst torture imaginable.

Letting go of the man from his teeth after having drunk his part, Tsukune's youki surged to his arms and it was only his constant use of the lock that more links didn't break under the stress. Energy turned into supernatural strength under the instinctive guidance of a vampire's blood and the fist fell with enough force to turn concrete to dust.

Tsukune punched again and again, almost lost in the haze of bloodlust, his fists landing on the man's face and breaking bones, tearing flesh, destroying the body.

While Yukari shook, too scared to interfere, or maybe turned on, Kurumu decided to stop Tsukune. She gave him a hug from behind and whispered to him to stop.

"Why?" Tsukune shouted his question, not understanding why that _thing _should be spared. "Why spare him? He hurt Mizore!"

Miyabi looked at Kurumu hopefully, but it was hard to tell considering the fact that his head was little more than a spherical mass of bone housing his brain. Kurumu's smile was not nice as she looked at him, sneering. "Because he knows. He has information. After we're done with this place, I will rip all of it from his mind. Then Mizore can kill him to take _her_ vengeance on him."

Tsukune's fist shook as he tried to restrain himself from giving that final blow and destroying what was left of his enemy. In the end he relaxed in Kurumu's arms and got up.

The downed man hoped that they would leave him alone enough for his healing abilities to repair his body enough to leave, but it wasn't going to happen. A tail, long, sinewy and made of sharp bones and spikes erupted from that demonic boy and wrapped around him, none too gently. A poisoned barb floated 'comfortably' next to his neck and Miyabi knew that if anything happened, he'd be dead in a second. His right hand, pressed a small button hidden in his glove and he wanted to smirk in victory. A signal had been sent.

He really ought to have known better by that time, but he didn't. Or he wanted some form of petty revenge.

Yukari was quick to give Tsukune another goal to aim for, knowing he would remain focused only if he had something to do. Otherwise he might just kill their prisoner, and she was curious as to what 'organization' he had been speaking about as well. "Let's go~desu! Mizore-san is this way!"

Tsukune, Kurumu and Yukari quickly took off, running up the stairs towards their friend, hoping she'd be safe.

Mizore barely raised her head when the door to her room was cut to pieces with the screech of metal being torn. She knew who it was, who else could it be. "Go away..."

The girl's whisper broke the hearts of her friends and made one prisoner very uncomfortable as Tsukune's tail tightened unconsciously. "Mizore-chan! You're here-"

Tsukune was forced to back away as spears of ice erupted from the floor. "Go away! Just leave me!" Screamed Mizore.

"Oi, what are you saying, you idiotic stalker-onna!" Yelled an indignant Kurumu. "As if we're gonna leave after coming all the way here!" And instead of walking away or dodging to the side from the ever-growing frozen icicles that seemed to blossom around the girl in the center of the room, she walked forward.

"That's right~desu! We're all here! Now let's go!" Said Yukari, before squealing in fear and ducking behind the door, lest that icicle got her head.

"You don't get it!" Screamed Mizore and they all saw her tears. "He took it! That bastard took it from me! He kissed me! And he touched me! He took it! He destroyed my body! I'm no good any more! I'm tainted by that man!" A shell of ice grew around her, as firm as the psychological shell she once protected her heart with.

Too bad it wasn't enough to dissuade a determined Kurono Kurumu. Spikes of ice pierced her clothes and scratched her skin, but she ignored it and kept on walking at the weeping yuki-onna. "Psch, as if that little prick could do anything to the Mizore I know. Now get up, we've got to go, or that bitch of a leader your people have is gonna get us all into trouble."

"Shut up!" More icicles erupted around Mizore, but they were too unfocused and failed to even come close to Kurumu. "You don't get it... I couldn't do anything... I wanted to give it to Tsukune... but he took it from me... my first, real kiss... I told them you'd come but they didn't leave me alone... They let him in and... and... and he..." A chocked sob escaped her. "He _touched_ me! He _kissed_ me! How can I go back? How can I see Tsukune like this?"

By that time, Kurumu was in front of the weeping girl and kneeled next to her. "If he took away your first kiss, I'll give you mine." And then Mizore found out what it felt to be kissed by one who loved you.

Her mouth opened wide in shock but no words or air came out because Kurumu's tongue crept in and teased her own.

Was the situation not so dire, she would have been turned on. As it were, she was surprised. So when the succubus let her breathe, she shouted indignantly. "Where on earth did you learn to do _that_?"

Kurumu giggled at her best friend, her duet partner and hugged her close. "See? You can give a 'first kiss' to Tsukune now. But remember, that one's mine so don't let any scumbag take it away from you!"

Outside the room, Tsukune was facing away from the two girls, but mostly to hide his nosebleed. It didn't help that even his Inner Demon cheered on the succubus.

Yukari though, being who she is, cheered internally and began taking notes. She was sure she'd be doing _that_ with Moka some day and who better to ask on sexual matters than a succubus?

Finally managing to stem his nosebleed, Tsukune stepped in the room, though he left his prisoner outside, wrapped by magical ropes Yukari quickly conjured. He made his way carefully so as to avoid tripping on one of the many icicles and half-frozen puddles of tears that decorated the room.

Once he was close enough, he too joined the hug, later enlarged by Yukari.

That's how they stayed, united, not wanting to break up for anything, when Tsukune's earpiece buzzed to life.

"Tsukune! Leave now! Things got very dangerous, we may not be able to get out!" Ruby's voice and it was urgent

Before he had time to ask, another voice reached him, Kokoa's, and the girl sounded terrified. "Why are you here Kahlua-nee-san?"

"Kokoa... scared?" It sounded surreal; they had seen her charge an S-class monster, Gin, without so much as flinching or hesitation. She had seen Tsukune's battle form in full rage and few things could shake anyone after seeing such a spectacle. Heck, she was raised in a household of _vampires_!

"Sounds dangerous~desu! We have to help them!"

"Wait, help who?" Asked Mizore, out of the loop.

"Dummy, you didn't think it's just me, Tsukune and the flat brat that came, did you?" Asked Kurumu. "Moka and Ruby and even Kokoa are here, but they're at the other side, making a diversion."

"Damn it..." Cursed Tsukune. "This way it's going to take us too long and I think we caused enough of a mess here that people are going to come over soon..."

"You're right, I can feel them through my ice. Several men, two dozen at least." Said Mizore after a short focus. In that place, so filled with her element, she could feel everyone in a short range through the vibrations sent through the snow. It would take another yuki-onna to numb those, which was a good thing in this case. "We have to go, now!"

"Yukari-chan, which way are they?" Asked Tsukune as his arms began to bulge and disform, turning into skin-covered mimicries of his demonic form's. He only lacked the claws, but with his increased size and muscle, he wouldn't need them to do what he wanted to.

"Straight down~desu. We have to go down and then east!" Said Yukari, having memorized the entire complex.

Tsukune sighed, he'd thought so. "Alright, step back and, Mizore-chan, please make a thick barrier to slow these guys."

Then, he punched the floor.

It would be best to say he punched _through_ the floor, the force of his inhuman strength creating a gaping hole in the floor. He leapt through and smashed his oversized fist on the floor below, making another whole.

"Well, that's one way to get there..." Mumbled Kurumu, stunned like every time she saw his humongous strength. These floors were nearly two feet thick, made of the hardest ice. And he broke through them like they weren't even there. "Now if I could convince him to put his strength to other uses..." So muttering in how many ways Tsukune's enhanced strength could be beneficial, she followed Yukari who had already leapt through the hole.

Mizore was quick to follow, slowing only to seal up the hole above her. It wasn't a perfect imitation, but it was thick and would take time to break through. Not to mention she placed a small structural failure; if any one point of it was broken, the entire thing would collapse in on itself, hopefully seriously wounding any of these guards.

And how she knew they were just 'guards'? Because there were no yuki-onnas with them, which meant that they weren't the usual shrine guards. They were just goons hired by _that_ guy. A guy she saw Yukari pull with her through the hole, though he was wrapped up tighter than even Ruby would find stimulating. Which said something about how nice the little witch was to people who hurt her friends.

Several floors down, said child had Tsukune stop demolishing floors, though he made another hole just to trick any pursuers. Once the group had reformed, followed by a nasty shove of a kunai into where the sun didn't shine on Miyabi's body, they quickly broke into a mad dash to find the others, using Yukari as their guide as much as Mizore was quick to create slides and bridges for them to cover any gaps.

Back in the east wing, Moka was frantically checking her options. She could feel Tsukune's blood begin to boil within her as it craved release and she knew what she had to do.

Even her Inner had no words of courage to offer her.

Sacrifice of the one to save the many. She had to do it to protect everyone. Ruby, Mizore, Kurumu, Yukari, her little sister Kokoa...

Tsukune.

"Run away." She whispered to Kokoa, who had fallen on her back next to her. "I'll make an opening. Take Ruby-san and run."

Before the orange-haired sibling had the chance to deny that, Moka had already leapt forward, drawing on her power like she did before, ready to fight as hard as she could, buy as much time as she could.

Her charge was interrupted in an instant by Kahlua's outstretched hand. The dark-skinned, blonde vampiress looked sadly at Moka. "Please don't resist, I'd have to hurt you if you do and I don't want to. So please stop being obstinate."

A wall behind the woman was demolished as if in reply and a male voice, charged with youki, gave a more verbal one. "Then you stop threatening them!"

Out of the snow-formed dust cloud, Tsukune charged out, hands spread wide and fell upon the black-suited, armed men like a train.

Which, naturally, meant they were sent flying the other way.

"What the?" Said Kahlua, surprised at the interruption, not to mention at seeing the vaunted Aono Tsukune arrive in such a fashion. She expected him to be... bigger...

Behind the male, three girls rushed in and one of them turned to the bound and gagged form of the Snow Priestess. "Told you he'd come for me." Snarked Mizore, feeling very smug at the moment.

"But... but..." Kahlua tried to understand what went on. "How did you get here so fast?"

Tsukune raised an arm, mockingly. "Well, there have to be _some_ benefits to having monstrous strength. I just smashed the floors and walls until we got here." Then he turned to Moka. "Are you alright everyone?"

Moka all but glomped him, so relieved at seeing him. Kokoa preferred to recalculate their chances of success while Ruby almost lost herself in her fantasies.

Despite her hating the Snow Priestess, Mizore moved towards her bound form and began removing the ball gag (which Ruby would later somehow sneak out) and blindfold. "That's why I said it. Tsukune and I, everyone, have a bond that your prophecies cannot foresee. Still, you did everyone for the good of the race, so I won't blame you too much for it. I too love the village after all."

"Run away then..." Whispered the Priestess. "Take everyone away and run... Ru-ugh!" The woman gasped as her eyes dilated and became bloodshot while her mouth seemed to open and something, a phantasmal something, creeped _out_ of her.

"Too bad... so bad... It's all worthless... all you've done, is pointless... You didn't save anyone, you condemned everyone... I am Jack Frost, this ectoplasm is a manifestation of my power from within the Snow Priestess' body... I am the one who told her what the future brings, the one who told her that if Fairy Tail's demands were not met, a rain of blood would fall on the village... Doomed, you're all doomed... It ends... now"

And then Mizore felt a sharp pain in her stomach. Looking at her, even she was surprised to see a hand stabbed into her gut, a hand covered by a long, white glove.

Kahlua's glove.

The vampiress tossed the snow-girl away with a mere wave of her hand and then proceeded to punch through the spirit and into the Priestess' face, knocking her off her wheelchair.

"That's why I said I hate it when people resist!" Kahlua seemed to whine as tears began welling up in her eyes. "Now I have to kill everyone, and Moka-chan too!" Then she tried to make good on her words, taking a few rapid steps towards the stunned pink-haired girl.

Kurumu and Ruby lept at Kahlua but they were thrown off with violent, sharp punches. Even little Yukari wasn't spared. Just a second before the dark-skinned woman reached her target, Tsukune placed himself before her.

Ignoring the boy, Kahlua punched.

Tsukune grunted, but to her surprise and to that of everyone around him, he didn't move. No matter how much extra force Kahlua tried to put, he just wouldn't budge.

It was then that she realized that she couldn't pull her hand back; the boy had grabbed it firmly with his own, just inches from his stomach.

When his eyes snapped up, Kahlua's tears stopped out of clear surprise. They were not human, they were not demonic or vampiric. They were all three and they pierced her. "Kill Moka-san? Kill your sister?" His voice was rough and low as his mind flashed back in time. Back when he was human. Back when he had fun with Kyouko instead of fearing her reaction. Back when _she_ was the one to protect _him_. "Older siblings are supposed to protect their younger!" He screamed and flung the vampiress away with a mighty roar, sending her careening and spinning through the air, impacting on a pillar of ice.

"Tsukune-san, hurry, my Rosario, remove it now!" Shouted Moka, knowing that it wouldn't be enough to take down her sister.

And seeing the woman rise up from the rubble, Tsukune could tell the same. This time, they would need 'professional' help. He turned around and removed the silver cross.

Ice normally a blue color was painted red by the potency of the released youki, gone in mere seconds. Silver hair moved in an unseen wind and red eyes homed in on their target.

"Moka-chan..." Whispered Kahlua, shocked that her sister could be unsealed. "You... awakened?" Then she kneeled. "Let me offer you my blessing for that magnificent awakening. Father would be happy too." Then she got up and her face changed. "But I can't let you go. I have to kill you all. Like my men here..." She said, almost sad.

Dozens of men burst into the large chamber, armed and ready, though some of them in their monster form. Kurumu and Mizore stood back to back, almost completely surrounded on one side, while Kokoa stood in the other, with only Yukari and Ruby as her support.

That left a whole entrance open for more reinforcements.

"Tsukune..." Moka's voice reached the boy in question. "Go, I'll take care of my sister. It's a family matter now."

"But..." Then he shook his head. "Please be careful, Moka."

She smiled at him, though he had already turned away to face his enemies. he really didn't know what he was doing to her, did he? Calling her by her first name only, not even using a suffix... Then her smile turned vicious and bloodthirsty as she looked at her sister, though her next words were aimed at him. "Be careful? Who do you take me for? I'm not going to loose to anyone."

Whether he heard her words or not, he didn't react. Tsukune just dropped down on all fours as his fom began to bulge and his clothes to tear. "I'm giving you exactly one chance to back the fuck off." He said and he meant it. His demonic side had been riling him up for some time now, telling him, urging him to fight.

But the men were either too brave, too foolish or too loyal to realize the very real threat behind the one before them. Instead of even considering that offer, they charged at him. They had taken at most three steps when they realized their target wasn't a boy any more. It was a coiled and ready demon-looking beast with claws as long as their arms. A roar met their charge and retreat began looking more and more like a sane choice.

Which was what another group was thinking as well. Believing the two girls to be easy prey, since one of them was already injured, they didn't even take cover. After all, how many of them could the two brats attack?

"I'm on my period, I'm freezing and my best friend was almost raped." Said Kurumu and that maniacal glint in her eyes made the more sensible of the enemy group rethink their options. "As you can realize I'm quite pissed off."

"Not to sound like a broken record, but I'm on my period, I got abducted right before kissing my future husband and _I_ was almost raped. I'm not too happy either." Came Mizore's follow-up and a hasty retreat looked very enticing.

Then the both of them looked at them like they looked Gin when he pulled one of his usual perversions on them. "It's payback time you bastards!"

What happened next could have easily been a choreography meticulously planned by several human dancing schools. It could also have been the reward reaped from countless hours of repeating the same movements over and over again until they reached perfection. It was neither; it was a spur-of-the-momeng combat dance and, through the unearthly grace of two girls and their own absolute trust at each other, it was more than enough to force a large group of trained men to beat a very hasty retreat. After all, most of them couldn't regenerate _that_, whether it was cut by kunai, ninjato, claws or simply kicked upwards.

The third entrance to the chamber wasn't anywhere near as fun. Being the sole front-line fighter of the three, Kokoa knew she'd have to give it her all. Sure the witches were useful, but she couldn't be anywhere all the time.

Which meant that when Ruby and Yukari unleashed a spell that created two lines of sharp metal cards and steel-taloned ravens to herd enemies to her, the vampire girl smiled wildly.

Her older sister had scared her. And, like her other older sister, she had felt a burning shame at being afraid, even though she knew that Kahlua was well out of her league for now. The blonde vampire was the best assassin of the entire Shuzen Family for a reason. So, like most vampires, she took her shameful emotions of fear and turned them into cold fury. She forged a blade of wrath from them and got ready to fight, to absolve herself of her 'weakness' of fear.

"Let's do this Kou-chan! Spear form!" She called to her bat and it stretched before turning into the ordered weapon. It was a long _yari_-type spear, with a blade several inches long, good for impaling as well as cutting. Its flame-tongue design gave it an excellent cutting surface and the weapon cut the wind easily as the vampire twirled it around.

Behind one of the many columns, Yukari gaped. She had never known Kokoa to use any weapon other than a morningstar, an axe or a rapier. Using a spear, a weapon that was fundamentally different from her usual choice, it was unexpected.

One of the goons decided to call the girl on it. "Hah, you think you can pierce my ultimate defence, brat?" He boasted as his body took on a stone, blocky appearence and his size increased.

"A stone golem?" Asked Kokoa, surprising the two witches that she knew what golems even where. Then they were shocked when Kokoa burst out in laughter. "You... you call that an ultimate defence? Haha, you weakling! The one to teach me how to fight is a third year student in my Academy and he is already at steel!"

"What? That's impossible!" Came the disbelieving reply. Unlike most monsters, golems had several levels of power they grew into, forms they could take. Mud was basic, followed by stone, iron, steel and then moving on to magical materials such as mithril. Needless to say, it was rare to find a golem that was that young and over mud-form.

"Oh yes..." She drawled out and set her spear in a basic two-handed stance. "Which means you're gonna be my first test subject for my new move!" Then she was on him.

The golem flailed as it tried to hit the agile vampiress, but she spun quickly out of the way, using her body to change the direction from horizontal to vertical and knock his defence up with the lower part of the haft. Her spin continued undeterred and she took a step forward, bending her knees so as to go as low as possible while her spear met the ground and rebounded off. As a result, Kokoa's thrust was much stronger than a mere jab and it struck from so low to the ground that it was unable to be blocked, even if the defender had a shield in hand, much less unarmed. In the final moment, just before the blow reached her target, that being the enemy's stomach and abdomen, the girl used the back hand to make a spiraling movement.

"Drill Fang!" She called out her new technique. It used several parts of spear-fighting. The spiral motion gathered all the energy at a single point, like a piercing lance as opposed to her usual blunt-force fighting. The spin and jab she used also drew in her entire body's strength rather than just upper-body. As a result, the mighty thrust easily had enough power to pierce the stone armor of her target and rip through him, the force of the blow actually lifting the golem off the ground with her supernatural strength and holding him above her as blood fell on her face.

Kokoa licked the blood drops that fell near her mouth and tossed her defeated enemy apart.

When she turned to the shocked goons, she nearly fell down laughing. They were gawking at her, not realizing how she could have so easily pierced that 'undefeatable defence'. Then one of them told her something that actually infuriated her. "Blood-red moon!" He blinked when nothing happened and then repeated it.

Kokoa just blinked at him. Then she proceeded to charge them, her spear cutting the wind itself.

The one to give that command somehow managed to block her spear for a second. "You bitch, what are you doing? Have you forgotten your mission? You dare betray our Leader?"

He was swiftly met with a kick in the groin which sent him to the floor before being kicked off to the side, much to his colleagues' shock. They too had expected something to happen and it definitely wasn't what had.

Because _that_ was the way she stalked at them, her spear spinning around her furiously, the wind itself howling from the speed of the swings. "Betray her? Are you freaking serious? Who do you take me for, one of you pathetic lowlifes? I'm a proud vampire you bastards! I'd never betray those I respect." Then she grinned ferally as she instantly stopped her spear's movements in a basic combat form with the tip extended and pointing to the ground. "I can't betray someone I was never loyal to in the first place! She was the one to betray me first anyway, setting me up against my onee-sama. Now, for raising a weapon against my beloved onee-sama, you will pay!"

Then she was gone and enemies got sent flying around. But even as she did that, she knew she'd have to give explanations later and she wasn't keen on that.

She just hoped her sister would forgive her one day.

Yukari and Ruby too were intrigued and partially worried by the whole 'betrayal' part, but Kokoa was their friend. If there was something she had to tell them, she would do it in her own time.

In the, relative, center of the room, Moka wasn't having as easy a time as the others.

Kahlua might look like a ditz most of the time and act like a child the rest of the time, but she was a vampire and she was strong.

But more importantly that that, she had one of the vampire race's lost powers. Which made things very difficult for the silver-haired teen.

It had happened almost as soon as her friends had left to fight their respective groups lest they became surrounded and defeated through attrition. Kahlua had quickly realized that with Moka released, she had few chances of winning the fight and instead decided to get serious. And that meant removing her limiter, which in turn released her latent abilities. Abilities that turned her right arm into a grotesque mass of bat wings that were as hard and sharp as a sword. A very sharp sword if Moka had to make a guess.

That was especially troubling to said girl because of the way she fought; hand to hand. Kahlua had the advantages of reach, lethality and even speed considering how easy it was to lash out with her arm.

Moka was left with only the advantage of raw strength and her own combat instincts, and that was mostly due to how her enemy fought, like a berserker, unconcerned with survival.

Dodging under a scything blow, Moka kicked upwards but 'tsk'ed when Kahlua pulled her head back and dodged the blow almost completely.

She was beginning to hate her sister now; it was a completely unfair way to fight! Moka only had her hands and fists to fight while her sister had age, experience and a wicked arm to use.

Maybe if she could get Tsukune to distract her...

Moka shook her thoughts away from that. Tsukune had enough to worry about, she didn't have to burden him more. Besides, it was her who told him to trust her, how could she betray that trust by asking for help?

The worst part was that there _was_ a way to defeat her sister, but that would mean almost killing her as well, or outright killing her.

The silver haired girl absently wondered if being sealed for so long made her soft-hearted as well as rusty. She decided to think on it another day, preferably over Tsukune and drinking his heavenly blood.

Wait, his blood! Her thoughts focused on his blood, the pool of power within her.

"Kahlua-nee-san!" She called to her sister, hoping the woman would hear her and stop. "Stop this! I don't want to hurt you nee-san!"

But Kahlua was too far gone. Being unable to cope with the stress of killing, she had developed her own defence mechanism; crying while she fought. Unfortunately, it also made her a senseless berserker with no conscious thought beyond killing her target. It would prove to be her undoing.

Hating herself for having to resort to using such means, but also realizing that there would be no other way to do it, Moka leapt away from her older sister and atop one of the broken pillars before crouching forward. She'd need a lot of speed to pull that off. Thankfully, she had an ally right inside her.

The feeling of her stomach being set on fire was unpleasant to say the least, but the rush of power quickly overshadowed that and the world snapped into unparalleled focus for Moka. Scent, sight, hearing even sense of touch were sharpened for one glorious moment and she could feel her blood roar in her ears. Then it was gone, but the power wasn't.

Willing it to focus on one intense burst of energy, Moka blazed forward, causing the broken pillar under her to explode under the force of her kick-off. Unknown to her, the shards from that struck one of the men that had snuck past Kokoa and was ready to hit Yukari, knocking him out.

But Moka didn't even notice that, her entire sight had focused on her target. It wasn't even her sister she saw. Instead she saw a body and on it, listed out with excruciating detail, an understanding of each location and what damage it would cause to land a blow there.

A low crouch under Kahlua's pre-emptive strike, leading to a high kick that the woman dodged by leaning backwards. Doing so exposed her lower chest however and Moka used the mass of force she had generated to make a rapid spin and land a devastating elbow thrust. She continued the motion to face her enemy again and her fist made its way into Kahlua's shoulder, almost breaking it off but at least dislocating it.

Kahlua lashed out wildly with her disabled arm, but it was unfocused and Moka was too fast. She pivoted around her target and sent a powerful knee at the lower spine, hearing the bone creak and break.

The dark-skinned vampiress began falling, but she hadn't even managed to do that when Moka's fist rammed the side of her head and knocked her unconscious.

Seeing their leader defeated, the black-dressed men realized that they had little to no chances of surviving this confrontation. Especially when _kids_ were beating them up. Maybe if their reports said it was 'a group of vampires' or something, they would be let off? They made a quick retreat to the waiting helicopters, 'loaned' technology from the human world, and fled without sparing a second look at their fallen comrades or their leader.

In one of the flying machines, Yoshii Kiria looked down in raw hatred, knowing that it was his nemesis, Aono Tsukune, messing with his plans again. He would have his revenge still though. As soon as he could convince that bitch, Leader-sama, to let him kill the filthy human. Then he would kill every member of that bastard's little happy harem and then torture the boy for years until he grew bored of him and finally gave him the blessing of death. After he showed him his family crucified and their bodies desecrated beyond realization. Madness grew in Kiria's mind and none were the wiser to it.

The chamber remained peaceful, or as peaceful as it could be after such a battle, for only a bit. The reason being not only the fact that Tsukune was tackled by a group of excited girls happy at finally being reunited, but also one very frightened Shirayuki Tsurara. She had seen the men storm the complex but everyone had been locked out. It took her time to break through the massive doors and she blamed herself for not being better at picking locks.

Hence, one very relieved mother hugged her one and only daughter and began fussing over her. It had come too close to destruction, too close to loosing the greatest treasure in her life.

At the sidelines, the leader of the yuki-onna watched wordlessly. She wanted to hope with these children. She wanted to cheer at finally being free.

But her curse was heavy and dark in nature, it told her of doom that could not be avoided. It told her of how pointless it all was.

So she made her way out alone. Alone to find another way to protect her people, now that blood would rain in her land.

Three days later, the group was in Shirayuki Tsurara's house, feasting and celebrating. The woman was so relieved she didn't even pressure Tsukune to have children with her daughter, and that was something when it came from her.

That, of course, didn't mean that Mizore didn't try to pressure Tsukune into doing the act herself. Or that Kurumu didn't try to seduce him. Or that Moka didn't try to make them stop for more than one reasons. Or that Kokoa didn't shake her head at the sex-crazed group. Or that Yukari and Ruby weren't lost in their own fantasies.

That would be just wrong now, wouldn't it?

At least, with the fighting over, the yuki-onna were very glad to help the group with their school tasks, telling them whatever they wanted to know about their people, their legends and their customs.

Who knew, it might even attract possible husbands for some of the younger daughters.

But the day to leave finally came as they couldn't delay their return any longer. Not without some very heavy justification, which they couldn't do.

Kahlua had already left, released by Moka with a hug and a well-wish, though Kokoa shied away from touching her older sister. Miyabi was still tied up, impossible to interrogate since Tsurara got ahold of him.

As it turns out, Tsurara's fascination with spies also extended to torture techniques. At least she knew enough about proper binding to even interest Ruby and, as much as she denied it, Kurumu.

The group of six stood outside Tsurara's house, loading their luggage on the bus back to the Academy, thanking the people that had welcomed them. They were almost sad to leave, but they were glad to go back home and its, more or less, usual insanity.

Happiness became muted and expressions became cold when someone else joined the group. Walking regally and wearing her full dress was the Snow Priestess, for one of the very few times outside her shrine.

She had come to say farewell to the unsatisfied, estranged daughter of her people. Because, above all, she cared for each and every one of her people. It was too bad that, as a leader, she was forced to make bad decisions as well, decisions that would doom a few to save the many. At least she was beginning to see that her decisions now would affect her possible choices later.

So, she approached Mizore, a sad look on her face, taking her to the side so they would be uninterrupted by the girl's overprotective friends. "Allow me then to say this, Shirayuki Mizore, a last service to my lost child... You may deny me, but my prophecy is real. You merely pushed back the eventual doom. You will never be with this man as he is. That is your fate."

Mizore smirked at her, a challenge as true as the one her beloved had howled over the entire village several nights before. "No, not fate, _destiny_. Fate cannot be changed but I will change _mine_. Besides, if I won't be with Tsukune as he is now... I'll just have to change him." Her confidence made Jack Frost back off as it saw a new Destiny manifest around the snow-girl, a destiny it had never foreseen before. The death of an era and the beginning of another. "I love him, that's why. I love him, loved him ever since I first read his article in the Newspaper Club, loved him even when I tried to kill him, loved him even more when I stalked him and saw his imperfections, loved him then more when I found he was a human. I fell completely in love with him only when I learned he was an Akuchi though, when I saw him hold that beast back for the sake of none but his friends. So, while your Prophecy might be true, I don't care. I thank you, but it's pointless. I am his, even if he doesn't know it yet. _That_, Snow Priestess, is my fate."

And, for the first time in over a century, the Snow Priestess believed the words of a being other than her eternal companion, the spirit that inhabited her body.

It was in that belief she made a terrifying discovery; _'Have all my predictions been wrong? Could this have happened had I not interfered? Have I really changed anything?'_

The Gift of Prophecy wasn't one to be borne easily, it was a burden of incalculable weight. And the Snow Priestess, leader of an entire race, had just realized that for all her ability of foresight, she just might not have made any difference in the end.

That single realization ended up changing her in ways she would not have believed possible. And this prophecy came true; an era was ending, another was begining, and the old era's final moments had just began.

In that solitary village of a dying race, so rarely visited that most of them had not seen another youkai until they left the village to find their wedded match, times changed not with a bang, but with the silent sigh of a realization that was long overdue.

**A/N: And so we move towards the inevitable confrontation with Fairy Tail, where damnation and hearbreak lie.**

**Also; 27 Wordpad pages for your reading pleasure. Damn, and here I thought something was wrong with how fast I wrote; I made the chapter too darn big!**

**Finally, this is the last chapter I can reliably publish. So here we have a choice. Should I keep writing while I'm off in the army, knowing I may not update for a couple of months on end, possibly leaving you with long cliffhangers? Or should I stop here and wait until I come back? Your votes will not necessarily change my opinion (I'm leaning towards the first by the way), but it may help me decide. Either way, I'll still be writing chapters, or at least keeping notes, but I can't guarantee when they will be published. So, sporadic updates or a rapid-fire update spree that will come in like six to eight months?  
**

* * *

**Today, on this 9/6/2012, I, Soulblazer87, do hereby leave this site, possibly forever.**

**I shall not update this, or any other story.**

**I shall leave them on, however. Should you desire to follow my stories, do so in my new site of residence: www dot yourfanfiction dot com.**


	16. Demons In Paradise

_Demons In Paradise_

So far Tsukune's day could have been better. Granted it could have been worse as well.

It was just barely a day after he and his friends returned from the Yuki-onna village that trouble started.

In his rage, he had bit into Miyabi, something that had stemmed from his newly-emerging vampiric instincts. But the problem was the fact that he wanted to do it again! As if drinking the blood of someone wasn't bad enough, he could feel his throat parch and his canines elongate every time he even _thought_ about blood. Worst of all, the blood had brought with it a rush of power, of _fulfillment_ even, like he was doing what he had been born to do.

More like what he had been _reborn_ to do.

Then, he had to try and convince Kurumu that he had thought he was in his Demonic Form and tried to rip his enemy's throat away. Which was a lie, of course. He hated lieing in general, much more having to do so to his dear friends.

But he had to do it alone, overcome these unbelievable obstacles. He couldn't bring them down with him, they had their lives to live and he had to make sure these lives were as free of corruption and taint as he could. And that included himself, ironically.

Still, it had been very hard, for various reasons, to get to sleep without them around him as had happened in the yuki-onna village. Just being near them brought him stability and a sense of normalcy, being separated from them was torture.

And then had began the 'fun' stuff. Miyabi tried, repeatedly, to escape and threaten them, using various methods. For once, Tsukune was very glad to see someone get sent to the Academy prison quarters. Especially Kuyou's 'tender mercies'. Though he doubted Kuyou himself would take part in any interrogation; the girls that had accompanied the Police Committee leader looked positively murderous when they heard what the prisoner had done.

Really, women were freaking scary sometimes, enough to rival his Inner Demon, and that was saying something.

The very same afternoon after getting back, Tsukune was invited to the Headmaster's office where he was forced to deliver a full report on what had happened.

The robed man had looked very worried and that was enough to scare Tsukune; the man had been unflappable even when impaled by Hokuto's blade-like arm. To see him actually worried about something was a sign of danger. Then he learned why; **"Fairy Tale, yes... I know them, terrible people they are. It is an organization, a group, an alliance even, of those Ayashi disgruntled by the way things are and the 'superiority' of humans. 'Aren't we stronger, faster, tougher, **_**better**_** than humans?' they ask. Many are drawn to their teachings, teachings that stand as an exact opposite to this school. While we seek the eventual, gradual, union and acceptance of both humans and monsters in both societies, Fairy Tale seeks the opposite; an all-out war. It was they that told Hokuto-san many things, those that led to his untimely death due to his wrong choices. It troubles me that you entered this fight so early Tsukune-san, I wanted you to have more time as well as the ability to choose which side you would fight on. But this way, conflict is unavoidable and the enemy has the advantage there I'm afraid. They have funds, trained warriors, more people under their command... it is like fighting a chimera. It seems the time when direct combat will ensue is drawing near and both sides stand to loose too much..."**

It was ominous and terrifying. Learning just _who_ and _what_ he would be placed against, Tsukune was more than a bit upset. This wasn't his fight, one side of him told him. It wasn't his fight, because that would endanger his friends, it would place them right in the middle of the enemy's sights. Another part of him told him to fight for fight's sake, for killing and destroying. Yet another whispered to him to go to the enemy; they are superior so they stand to gain, he should go there and cut his losses. He could even take his friends with him there. Another said to scream in rage and charge head-on.

With so many different sides of him telling him what to do, Tsukune couldn't make any decision because he couldn't even hear _himself_ over the cacophony.

Not to mention the growing headache of his Inner Demon goading him every single waking moment of his life. And that was even _with_ the meditations he had learned from the Headmaster.

And we come to the present. A present that finds Tsukune in a separate dimension that is _clearly_ not even earth. The reason? Simple; sky wasn't as different as the human world and Youkai Gakuen's, it even had other _planets_!

"And... why _exactly_ did you wrap this chain around you, Ruby-san?" He asked, looking at the witch as she struggled to get free from chains she bound herself in. And bound in various _imaginative_ ways.

The witch struggled some more, feebly. "W-w-well... you were taking so long to arrive and I got bored so I began wrapping them around me... just to p-pass the time..."

Yes, passing the time is one way to put it. S&M seemed more like the truth though. Shaking his head, Tsukune helps the woman unwind herself from the silver chain. "So, how are we going to do this?"

The witch holds up one end of the chain, a small handcuff on it. "Place this in your hand before the Divine Lock. I will explain more about it then."

And so he does, snapping the lock close. Almost instantly he felt his power drain away by the blessed metal. In response, Ruby pulls out an orb and a whip.

Understandably, Tsukune looked from the whip to the witch several times before raising an eyebrow, the question in his eyes more than evident. At least she had the good grace to look sheepish.

"I-It's not that I want Tsukune-san to use it on me, though I wouldn't mind either! I-I really!" She flushed, trying to justify her masochistic urges, and failed rather spectacularly.

"It's alright Ruby-san, this is training. Now, what are we going to do?" He asked, rather curious. The orb seemed to have a smaller, silver sphere inside, etched with several runes. The whip on the other hand... it seemed like an instrument of combat rather than a training one; it had several metallic studs and he could _smell_ the blood on it, dried but still there. The fact it made him uneasy just looking at it also meant it possibly had great powers in it as well.

The woman nodded, getting serious rather quickly. She gave him the orb to hold on his left hand, the hand with his Lock on, and the whip on his right.

As soon as the items touched his flesh, they reacted. The sigils on the inner sphere's surface began to glow a harsh blue-white light that hurt Tsukune's eyes and _self_ to see while the whip seemed to flood with youki, more than he had ever summoned on his own before. Youki that he could feel flowing to the other side of him and into the chain that linked him and Ruby.

The demonic power coursed through the metal and reached the girl who was suddenly covered in blood-red flashes of lightning, being painfully electrocuted. Dropping the two items became an instinctive reaction as he rushed to help the woman, lest she got further hurt.

The moment they left his hold, the flushes stopped and Ruby swayed before falling right into his hands.

Tsukune would have been seriously more worried had it not been for that suspicious blush on the woman's cheeks and the way she looked at him.

Hungrily.

"Ruby-san, are you alright?" He asked, frantic.

"Oh my, Tsukune-san... I knew you were strong, but this was too much... I felt such power enter me..." She mumbled and he didn't know if he should be worried or embarassed. It wasn't just the words but the way she said them that gave them a whole new context to the compliment. But Ruby shook herself from her daze quickly. "Anyway, you understand what happened though, right? Allow me to explain. The whip is called 'Belmont', a legendary magical item that has been used by Vampire Hunters for ages. Amongst its powers is the ability to temporarily suppress any seal it comes into contact with, that and turn any form of energy, be it youki or even a holy-man's faith, into a weapon. The orb is different; it's called 'Tenebrae Fugalrix' meaning 'Banisher Of Darkness' in Latin. It has the power to drain away demonic energy and repel it."

She lifted the orb again and presented it to the boy. "With the Banisher's repelling power, we can temporarily suppress your demonic side's power. Because it is in constant 'war' with your Vampire Blood, the source of your Ghoul powers, that means that your vampiric powers begin to overcome you, suffusing you with their power. You haven't used them much, which is why you have so little control; the amount of focus needed to draw them out with your demonic side active is so large that when it isn't there, you can't control your power output. You could think it as wearing weights; you've worn them so long you can't control your own strength without them."

Then she put the orb down and picked up the whip. "Belmont on the other hand is more direct. By cancelling out your seal, it enables you to bring forth the entirety of your sealed power. By combining these two artefacts, you come into a very different state than normal. Instead of depending on your Akuchi abilities, they are suppressed and instead are forced to use your Ghoul powers. As for the chain, it links you and I, enabling me to drain the excess of your power so that it doesn't strain your Lock. This training will progress in two stages. The first stage is simple; limit the output of your power so that it doesn't shock me. Do not worry, we have ample time here. The Headmaster has allowed us as much time off as we need to take care of this, so there is no need to rush."

_'No need to rush?'_ Thought the boy. _'That's impossible; I have to get stronger and stronger! I have to become much stronger so I can defend them!'_ Outwardly however, he only nodded, when a thought occured to him. "Wait a moment, what about the Banisher? Can't we use its power to suppress my Demonic side permanently?"

Ruby shook her head sadly. "No, it acts against all demonic energy. It is a relic left over from a very troubled time. None of its makers thought it would be used for training. You would have to carry it on you all the time and even then it wouldn't work for long; you would die of withdrawal. Your body has become so adapted to the demonic power in you, that if we took it away, you would die in a horrible, extended, painful death. Trust the Headmaster on it; we have uncovered many works about Akuchi who tried to do that. You are not the first to try it. No, the orb would kill you, painfully. Besides, without your powers, you would become much weaker and unable to protect yourself, let alone anyone else. Our enemies will not wait Tsukune-san, they will strike and we need all the help we can get, be it in combat or in making and maintaining relationships."

"I... see..." He said, saddened. What he wouldn't give to be free of his torment, but the safety of his friends was not a price he would pay. That's what he was there after all; he would be forced to fight, and fight very powerful enemies at that. So he had to become strong, stronger, the strongest, more powerful than even Inner Moka could ever fathom herself to be. So powerful, so strong that no one would even _think_ of hurting them.

Then he would be able to let them live their lives and watch over them as he should. Maybe help them find their matches and raise their children.

For the ones who saved him from himself, he could do no less.

And so he began a long, harsh training session in which he had to do the exact opposite than usual; restrain his powers when he usually let them burst outwards. It was a test of control after all, rather than power. And it was then that he noted once again how he was not human any more; he passively let so much youki circulate in his body that a lesser youkai, like Ruby at least as far as race went, could barely even stand it.

Back in the Academy, the group of girls that was on his mind every second of his training were anxiously talking to each other.

They had known something bad had happened, but they didn't know exactly _what_. Well, Yukari _did_ know, but she didn't reveal that fact yet and Kurumu only had an inkling. The succubus had not been convinced that Tsukune bit Miyabi while confusing his forms; as long as she had seen him fight he had never _once_ used his jaws to bite someone in combat.

Which meant that he was covering up for something else, but what?

Two others had a very good inkling about what it was, but they wouldn't speak. Well, technically they were three. Kokoa had known that he was part Ghoul as well, apart from _her_ revealing that fact, it had also been his youki; it was too familiar to her onee-sama's to be a coincidence.

Moka however, both parts of her, also thought that he had become a Ghoul. The Headmaster might have not-answered the question, but in doing so he had revealed part of the truth to them, if in a way that the others didn't get.

Truthfully, it made them both sick in their stomachs. That he was so close, _so close_, to being a vampire and yet be condemned to that mockery, when he deserved to be one of their proud race even more than many other vampires deserved...

It hurt them, it cut them deep. Because it showed that it _could_ have been, a potential they shot just short of.

But they didn't speak about it to each other. Outer Moka was cursing herself for being so weak and needing him all the time, necessitating her to give him her blood. Not to mention her constant yearning for companionship, something that had played a great part in her 'manipulating' the boy to keep him close. She hated it, she really, _really_ did. She wanted to apologize, to ask for his hate, anything but see him look at her, still with that love in his eyes, every time he saw her. She didn't deserve it, not when it was her that led to him being cursed twice.

Inner Moka thought much the same, but also so differently. Being so proud, she wanted him to be with her, because he was one of the few worthy of such an honor. There he was, less than a year after his demonic bloodline awoke and he could go toe-to-toe with so many, powerful enemies. Beyond that, he had the spirit necessary to be as a Lord; he cared about each and every one of his friends, he didn't waver, he could make the harsh decisions and wasn't afraid to put himself in harm's way. Just like a Lord should be; held above his people to observe and protect them all. Not to mention of his pride, so different from her own and yet so similar. His strength of will, so great as to hold a demon's soul back, so powerful as to not kill someone who deserved it at only the behest of a single person's request. So, was it wrong for her to desire him? Was it wrong for her to want him so? To want to give herself to him, to want to take him for herself, to be his equal? To be his as he was hers?

She was split in that. Part of her said no, no it wasn't wrong. It wasn't wrong because he had managed a feat that no strength of arms or purity of blood could ever manage. He could touch her heart. He could reach out and touch her, hold her hand when she needed to and stand back when he had to. He could trust her but always support her. He could shield her but never insult her. He was perfect in that way. But another part of her said the opposite. It said that she shouldn't be with him; she cared for him enough to not betray him after he died, if they ever came together. It said that he was mortal, for all his power and his perfection, he was still merely mortal, even if he would live to be a couple of centuries old with her blood re-vitalizing him. But before her endless millenia of expected life, it was less than a blink. To love and loose him, to let go of her control and let him in would hurt her more than any blade ever could hope.

It was maddening, to be lost in that question. To love or not to love. It became a struggle every time Omote drunk his blood, even if it wasn't his _true_ blood. It became torment every time he stood protectively before them, ready to face odds no mortal should ever have to, just because he didn't want them hurt or even upset.

At least her Rosario did help her, in a sense; by holding her captive inside, the time she was forced and yet pleased to be near him was very short, too short for him to create a bond that would overcome her feelings of terror.

Because Inner Moka knew what her emotions comprised of now; terror. Sheer, mind-numbing, soul-rending terror.

She could not love him, she wasn't allowed to even care for him as more than friend. Much less a mate.

And yet every time she said that to herself, be it her other side or not, she felt her heart waver and hurt.

Inner Moka had yet to learn the value of trust and communication. Had she spoken about it, had she talked to her other side and then to their friends, things might, could, should have gone differently.

But a vampire would never reveal his weakness, physical or emotional. So she went on silent, hating herself for it but unable to do anything about it as well.

It could have fallen to Kurumu to hold the group together, but the succubus wasn't inclined to do it. Other things took precedence for her.

Things like how she seemed to loose to the other girls, how she seemed to be unable to reach him.

He had braved an entire race's wrath for Mizore. He had braved unbelievable odds for Moka. And both of them deserved that.

But what about her? What about Kurono Kurumu? Both Mizore and Moka were great people, they were smart and the strongest of their respective generations. Herself however was only beautiful. Granted, she was a vision of sensuality but that's all she was, that's all she could ever be. She wasn't a genius like Outer Moka, she wasn't 'cool' like Mizore and neither was she a warrior-queen like Inner Moka. She was just herself, everyday _average_ Kurono Kurumu. And she hated herself for it.

In her desire to be something other than what she was, she forgot her own greatest characteristic; a heart of gold, a shining beacon of kindness, a soul so genuinely caring that she could pull an Akuchi from his berserk fury with just a touch and forgive someone for almost attempting rape on her Destined One like Mizore had tried with the Snow-whites.

So she was torn; she was average and Tsukune was all but. Even as a human, when everything he did was the definition of average, he had had something exceptional; his heart. He was a kind and caring as a human could be and it was exactly that which drew her to him. One could say he even inspired her. But she could not do the same for him. Not now. Not with him being as powerful and unique as he was.

The only one amongst their group who would tell, and actually convince, Kurumu of her being all but mundane was Mizore, and she was too absorbed in her recollections to do it. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, the Snow Priestess' prophecy had hurt her terribly. Because as much as she detested that woman, it was also true that none of her prophecies had been wrong. Ever. In one or another way, they always came true. Which meant that she was destined to be apart from him as he was. After all, she couldn't change him, and neither did she want to change him. She loved him as he was.

But accepting that he would not love her as she wanted him to, hurt her. Still, it was her choice to stick with him, no matter what, and that was way stronger than any Fate or Destiny foretold.

She had made her choice and she would not renege on it. Unfortunately for her heart's peace, it didn't mean she liked the way things would unfold. But, if she could, for just a bit more, enjoy this peaceful life before being forced to bear children for the survival of her race... if she could be near him a little bit more, if she could just help him a little bit more...

Then it was fine. It wasn't as good as she wanted, but it would be fine. Just that would be enough for her.

Observing the group, Yukari would sigh if that didn't draw their attention. Being who she was, she could see a lot of tension in her friends, but if they weren't going to talk about it, she couldn't do anything about it either. Pushing them seemed like the wrong thing to do and it wasn't as if she knew exactly what to say either. She would just hurt them worse if she poked. And then there was Tsukune. He had changed after the mission, became more guarded. Not cold though, but guarded as a person. He still smiled like before and joked, but he spoke about himself even less.

It must have had to do with him jumping on Miyabi and biting him. Which would mean he was afraid of his growing vampiric side. Something rather weird, since his demonic one was much worse.

Or so the little witch thought, because she had never had the urge to drain the life out of a friend, or felt the deathly rage of a Ghoul. She wasn't even aware of what a Ghoul is, beyond legends about some failed experiments. After all, no vampire would let the proof of his failure live or become known, and so every Ghoul was summarily executed along with whoever made it. It was one of the cardinal rules. Laws that were enforced on penalty of death, by beheading if you were lucky or well-connected.

Being so absorbed in her theories and thoughts and plans, Yukari overlooked her own best friend, Kokoa.

The poor vampire girl was filled with a tension of another kind. She knew the witches had heard of her having a mission and betraying it. She was also sure they had told the rest of the group.

So, why didn't they ask her about it? Why didn't they push her to a wall and force the details out of her? Why did they keep on treating her like they did every day, if only with a lot more tension in their actions?

She couldn't get it, why did they trust her so much? Or was it that they _didn't_ trust her even before they knew of her treachery?

That thought alone was the one to hurt her the most. It would mean that none of them trusted her, none of them was her friend.

And, though the vampiric ideal commanded that she be superior to all and that she needs no friends, she herself knew it to be wrong; she _wanted_ friends, she _liked_ having friends and messing around with them.

Well, as long as they didn't insult her pride while doing so anyway.

The doubt within her caused her to almost explode every time she and Yukari were alone in the same room, or when Moka asked her if there was anything wrong.

So, it was with no surprise she _did_ explode. At least she waited until they were alone, in the Newspaper Club room.

"Alright that's it!" She screamed. "I've had it!"

Moka tilted her head to the side. "What's wrong Kokoa-chan?"

The innocence in her action infuriated the girl. "That's it! That's exactly it! Why? Why are you doing it?"

Now Kurumu was curious as well, though she did notice Yukari almost flinching when the other girl spoke. "Doing _what_ exactly? We haven't done anything other than normal."

"My point exactly!" Screamed Kokoa, rather incessed that they tried to keep playing the fools. "Why are you treating me the same? Even though you know I had another mission, even though you know I was with _those_ guys!"

And then she realized that maybe she had miscalculated. The genuine surprise on the faces of the three older girls could not be faked. Yukari sighed sadly, there goes her hope for a peaceful afternoon.

"What the hell are you talking about Kokoa?" Demanded Mizore, still not completely over her ordeal.

"That's enough Mizore-san... Some of them gave some sort of signal to Kokoa-san when we fought. They said something about a mission and 'Leader-sama's trust'~desu." Said Yukari, putting away all their newspaper paperwork. What was about to come could ruin all their work and she was too tired to be able to redo it from scratch.

"Wait, that's a joke right? I mean, we know Kokoa, she's annoying, bratty and too damn arrogant for her own good, but she's one of us right?" Asked Kurumu.

"That's the damn point! I _never_ was one of you! Don't you get it? I didn't come here to get nee-chan, I was _sent_ here to _recover onee-sama_! So why don't you at least react to that?"

"Because they didn't know~desu. And I didn't want to pressure you about it until you were ready to talk about it~desu. You are my friend Kokoa-san, and I trust you. Otherwise, you'd have gone back with _them_. So," Paused Yukari. "what _was_ that mission anyway~desu?"

Kokoa rubbed a hand down her face. How could they do it, react to everything in such a laid-back way? "Ugh... I'll start from the beginning, when onee-sama left." She sat down and looked outside the window, seeing Kou-chan flutter around some leaves. "It was few weeks after Onee-sama left and Mother disappeared... Father was so angry at you both, but we didn't know why. Not even Kahlua-nee-san did and that's rare. In the end, he left the mansion for a bit but ordering us to stay inside, the servants would see that nothing happened. He returned a few weeks later and he seemed... triumphant, no more like he had managed to find his way out of whatever troubled him..."

A deep sigh and an inhalation. "That's when things went wrong. He had us sisters tested, extensively. We were pitted against servants and each other, fighting almost to the death sometimes, to the real death others. Or he would test our mental abilities... I was left behind, of course. Kahlua-nee-san was second and first... was Akuha-onee-san... It might have been best if she had lost." She turned to look at them and they saw something different in her eyes, something they had rarely witnessed. "Father was overjoyed about our oldest sister winning... he took her away for a year... When she came back... she was... she was different. She looked like she had lost her _soul_." There was terror now in these eyes. "I don't know what he did, but he _twisted_ her. Before she left, she was a vampire sure, but she was still nice, she fed Erl-Gray, gave small treats to Kou-chan and even helped me train. But then she changed. She was different, in a bad way."

Kokoa unearthed a small silver pendant, held in a simple steel chain that was obviously different to the original. "This was Akuha-onee-san's, the last memento she had from her life before Father brought her home. She always cherished it, said it was very important. But when she came back, she tossed it away, broke the chain and almost destroyed it. I was barely able to salvage it and get a new chain. When I asked her... her eyes changed again. I... I think that something was affecting her, something strong and evil, she managed to come back for only enough to tell me it's mine now and to keep it safe... I don't know what it was, but I know something; ever since onee-san came back from her trip with Father... she's had _two_ types of youki inside her."

"Two? That's impossible~desu!" Said Yukari. "Two different youki energies inside her would kill her slowly~desu! It's why youki transfusions are so dangerous! Tsukune-san's blood-power is different, but that's mostly because it burns out so quickly~desu! If someone was exposed to another energy from within, it would tear them _apart_~desu!"

Kokoa nodded at her genius friend, it was a good thing to have such a smart friend, it cut down on her explanations. "I know! But it didn't seem to hurt her. Besides, we also know someone with two different powers inside him; Tsukune. He has two energies inside him; his own Akuchi abilities and remnants of onee-sama's blood from all the times he got infused with it."

"True, but his Divine Lock prevents my blood from affecting him, it diffuses his power until he learns to control it. Which means, he _would_ suffer from the two different powers, but Akuha doesn't? Maybe she has another seal on her?"

Kokoa scoffed. "Do you think I wouldn't have looked for one? Besides, even Aono's seal just limits his powers, Akuha's doesn't. She can use any of them or even both of them together at the same time. Onee-sama can also verify it; when I used Tsukune's blood while also enhancing my strength, I felt my stomach _burn_. I almost puked until the rush of power drowned it out, it means I still suffered from some after effects. Onee-san was different. Anyway, after a couple of years, she slowly pulled it together, but in the wrong way; instead of turning back to being nice, she became colder, harsher... she became _evil_and you know how rare it is for me to say it. She's the one that led our family into Fairy Tale, everyone, even Father is a member, even I."

To the vampire girl's great surprise the others didn't react too much to her admission. It worried her actually.

"Well, I _was_ one anyway, I don't think they'd take me back even if I wanted to return. My mission, you see, was simple; earn your trust, break you up and take onee-sama back. The signal they gave me? It was a signal if I needed to change my loyalties fast. Supposedly, they'd give it if capturing onee-sama was definite. As you can see, I betrayed them. Well, I was never loyal to them anyway. Especially not when I was placed again my onee-sama."

"Hey, Kokoa, if you were one of them, at least in name, then shouldn't you know a lot about them?" Asked Mizore, rather curious.

The vampire shook her head. "I wasn't high up enough. I was treated like a child, onee-san's mission was supposed to get me a promotion, but what do I care about that? She lied to me about onee-sama being used. She even said Tsukune was a harem-holder that was just using girl. Psch." She huffed. "That idiot doesn't try to do that at all. He's just too nice for his own damn good."

"Ara, Kokoa-chan, are you developing a crush on Tsukune-san?" Asked Yukari, knowing it would embarass her friend, but also aware that it wasn't true. Still it would be hopelessly funny to see the girl embarassed by the 'accusation'.

"W-w-w-what are you talking about Yukari-chan? There's no way, _no way_, I'd be attracted to that lukewarm, weak-looking guy!" Kokoa's denial made everyone around her laugh and her blush more out of embarassment. Still, it was true what she said; she wasn't attracted to him. Well, not by 'love' anyway. His power on the other hand, his charisma and even the way he held himself when serious, that was another matter. She could understand, in part anyway, why these girls were rivals in love and yet managed to remain friends.

"So what are we going to do? With Fairy Tale I mean... these guys don't seem like the kind to back off that easily..." Moka's voice was quite subdued. She didn't want to fight anyone, unlike her Inner. But, even her other side could understand that fighting meant danger, if not for her then for her friends.

The joking atmosphere became serious very fast after that. They all knew what she was thinking, at least in part. "Train hard. Or hard_er_." As always, Mizore was frank and to the point. "They don't understand reasoning and don't feel sorry for their actions. Then, the only way to stop them is forcibly." Of course that didn't mean that any of them had to like it, not even Mizore if one went by the frown on her face.

Well, Kokoa did, but she had a bone to pick with them anyway, for forcing her to go against her onee-sama. "Well, I know where I stand anyway, I train every weekend with the Police committee. Then there's Aono, where the hell is he anyway? Wasn't he supposed to be over here by now? Didn't see him running his rounds either before club activities started."

Yukari quickly checked her charms and found Tsukune's to be a slightly less than pristine white. Ruby's however seemed to fluxuate from soft gray to dark gray and back again. Upon revealing the paper to the rest of the group, they looked at the event weirdely. "Maybe it's broken or something?" Asked Kurumu, weirded out.

That got her a nasty, indignant look from Yukari. "My creations don't fail~desu!"

And that got _Yukari_ a nasty look from Kokoa. "Yes, like your Growing Drops, they're _perfect_." She mocked.

She should have stayed her tongue rather than set it against the genius. "Weren't _you_ the one asking me if twelve minutes are enough the other day? I think that qualifies as a great success~desu!" And the little witch was poking her tongue at the blushing freshman.

"Well, if it isn't broken then we must find out what's going on. Who _always _knows where Ruby-san is? We must go to the Headmaster." Although it was Mizore who suggested that, it was plain as day that it was the last thing she wanted to do. That man creeped her out every time.

And that seemed to be a good time. **"Ask and ye shall receive, I have come to you. So, what seems to be the cause of your worry?"**

There was not one person in that room that didn't leap to the ceiling as soon as they heard that voice come right behind them. They would have wondered where he got his sense of humor, but upon seeing the mirthful giggling that came from his shoulder, they began to realize it; a terribly familiar pixie-like being was perched there, laughing. "Oh this is so rich! And here I thought you had no sense of humor, Mikogami!" Laughed Lilith.

Said man chuckled creepily like he always did. **"Now, now Lilith, behave. As for my humor, it **_**is**_** hard to make jokes when besieged by headaches from all sides. Have you ever tried to run an Academy? Maybe I could make you Headmaster for a day?"**

The pixie went ashen pale at that; she had seen what he had to go through. And the paperwork, that blasted thing was almost _alive_! "No, no! I'll be good, I promise!"

All around the Headmaster, the people of Newspaper Club gawked. They had not once seen him laugh or joke. Then again, every time they saw him, it was usually just before or right after a misfortune had messed up their lives. "A-ano... Headmaster? W-why are you here?" Asked Moka, shyly. Her other side might have a grudging respect for the man, but she was almost scared of the holy aura he released. Not to mention that unlike the rest of her club, she knew that he was a Dark Lord.

The man's shining eyes turned to the group and he sighed. Even though they were usually emotionless, they could see a lingering sadness in there. **"Many, many things, as young Ruby would have said. Prime amongst them is to hear of your choice. You now know of Fairy Tale, I'm sure little Kokoa has regailed her story so far, yes? Good. Fairy Tale is the opposite of this school; we seek peace and a unity with the humans, acceptance of both sides in both societies. Fairy Tale seeks war, chaos and bloodshed. In their eyes that would mean the eradication of humanity, but they fail to see that it could very well mean **_**our**_** end as Ayashi. So, now you stand before many, harsh choices. You can fight, flee, cower or do nothing. I know that Tsukune-kun however is training, right now. He is training harshly, training to unleash all the latent power in himself even though he is not sure he can command it. And he does it all for you, yes even little Kokoa. He is... not human any more, but neither is he full Akuchi. He is a hybrid of three races and on his shoulders fall the damnations of all three. Amazingly enough, he also bears all the exaltations afforded by them."**

"Three races? But Tsukune is a former human and an Akuchi, what are you talking about a third race?" Asked Kurumu, rather worried her Destined One would be suffering more.

"It... It's my blood, Kurumu-chan. I gave him my blood a lot. Normally it would have turned him into a Ghoul but, with his demonic blood..."

**"No, it **_**has**_** turned him into a Ghoul. A Ghoul as well as an Akuchi. Which makes him all the more astounding, to be able to fight off all that madness, even if my Lock aids him in that. Tsukune-san must learn to control both sides of him, Ghoul and Akuchi and then balance them with his human side. He must find his balance, his equilibrium. If one side overpowers the others, then it will assimilate them and they will be no more. Do you understand now how dangerous his position is? He may very well be the first of his kind. So, he must train all the harder for it, he must understand all aspects of him. He has depended on his demonic side for so long that it has grown much stronger than his vampiric or human side. He must train his Ghoul powers now, elevate them to the point they can cancel out his Akuchi bloodline so that it can make room for his humanity to control them. And then, one of them will go out of balance and the cycle will begin anew. Young Tsukune-kun is faced with many trials, most of which not even **_**I**_** can predict or aid him against. He is all alone in that."**

"But he's not alone! We're here for him, right?" Asked Kurumu. "We can help him, we _will_ help him, right?"

**"And how do you plan to do that exactly? By stuffing him in your chest every chance you get? Or by dragging him off to have progeny? Or by drinking his blood?"** He pointed out, watching them squirm. **"So far, the only two who have at least shown some understanding are little Yukari-san and Kokoa-san. You do not understand an Akuchi's needs. Therefore, you cannot help him in that regard. You **_**can**_** help him by making him fight less and think more. Not to mention by training to be strong enough to not need him to worry about you every moment."**

"B-but... but we... what can we do?" Asked Kurumu, having deflated after the robed man's counter.

**"That is for you to find out. I can help, but you must each find your own way to deal with this. I will say this however; I know where he is and I can take you there. I cannot let you take him away from his training however, regardless of what you wish. He has made his choice, now he has to stick to it and find his own limits. Without exertion, there is no progress. Or as the humans would say; no pain, no gain. In his case, it is a bit more literal. He and Ruby are in what's known as a 'Monster Paradise'. An alternate dimension wherein I have rescued and... salvaged... several monsters that would have gone extinct. The constant danger and pressure will do him good to advance his powers in a short time. It will hurt however, terribly I'm afraid."**

Moka, Kurumu, Mizore and Yukari only needed a glance at each other to know what they had to do; go see him of course. "Then please show us where he is." They had made their choice.

Kokoa however wasn't satisfied. "So you knew about my mission... so, what's going to be my punishment?"

**"What punishment? I have no intention of punishing you."**

"Don't joke around with me! I come from your enemy's side! I could still be an enemy for all you know!" She screamed at him, annoyed at being dismissed. In her mind, the fact he didn't give her a punishment meant that he didn't see her as a threat worthy to be taken out. A gross insult to the vampire.

But the Headmaster only shrugged. **"Beyond having a rather acute description of what Tsukune-kun would to do me if I let any of you get hurt, much less hurt myself, I also think there is no punishment befitting your punishment. You have already hated yourself enough and the insults about being a traitor hurt your pride enough. There is no need for punishment. Though, if you still want something,"** His eyes glinted mischievously. **"I could give you some of Ruby's books on that matter. She has a whole library filled with illustrations on what humans call 'masochism'. Amusing reads, I admit. How one would enjoy pain, given or received, is such a revolutionary concept."**

And then she was blushing again. Was there nothing in these people's heads other than sex? Poor Kokoa had yet to enter puberty and find out for herself. She was in for a sore surprise. "S-shut up you pervert!" She screamed at him and then stalked off to sulk, annoyed and embarassed at the giggling of the rest of the club.

"But Kokoa-chan has a good idea." Said Moka. "We all need training. Maybe we could train together?"

"Oh, like bootcamp! We could even make matching t-shirts and uniforms!" Kurumu squealed, thinking about how she would look in a uniform, and of course how to design one that would exemplify her 'aspects'.

Unfortunately, the idea was met with facepalms, though the Headmaster only chuckled at the teen's flighty nature. It was good to see that at least one of them could be a child when she wasn't forced to fight for the greater good or her life. If only he didn't have to resort to manipulations to control these children and let them take their own paths. While he believed they would make the same choices, he couldn't afford to give them that time. He didn't _have_ that time to spare. **"Well, you had better follow me if you want to find Ruby and Tsukune-kun. They are not far, but the gateway is not in casual sight, it would be very dangerous if someone released some of the rarities I've rescued in there."**

And so the group was led to the Monster's Paradise, a place even they would be hard-pressed to survive. Through their walk, Kokoa was left to wonder what exactly it was that made this group not react to her traitorous actions. Why did they just nod and accept her?

She realized it was something profound and strong. It was called 'trust'. Simply put, they trusted her. They had read her, they had understood her and they trusted her despite her imperfections. Maybe that's what made the group so endearing to her. The fact that they could accept anyone if they were justified enough. But she was still split between her new loyalties and her loyalty to her family. She knew, for example that Kahlua did not deserve to be fought and possibly even killed for going with the wrong people. She might be scary, but she was also nice deep down, if one went past the passive disquiet the blonde vampire created just with her presence.

Then there as Akuha. She didn't want her dead, despite what she had done. She had known the old, nice, Akuha. Who, might not have been kind or caring, but at least she spoke and laughed and even fed Kou-chan or trained her. And that gave her a benefit of a doubt. Kokoa also realized that she was the only one to truly believe in Akuha, the only one who would search high and low to find a cure for whatever had ailed her oldest sister.

When the Newspaper Club reached the gateway, it wasn't what they expected it. It was a lone door standing on air, no walls around it, right in the middle of a large room.

The Headmaster made a wave towards the door. **"If you go in there, I cannot promise your safety. I will accompany you, of course, but please make sure to keep watch at all times. Also, do not disturb Tsukune-kun when he is training. His power fluxuates rather greatly and it could prove... a hassle... if it went out of control. For all his vaunted power and potency, he sorely lacks in controlling. It is what this whole training is all about; in terms of amount and potency he needs no help. However his power is almost uncontrolled, unfocused, leading to wasting far more than he actually uses. This will also help him by condensing his power within him and hasten the adaptation of his body to youki. He is still mostly human physically, at least when not in combat."**

And then they were through the standing door, straight inside a different world, a jungle of some sort, though it was filled with beings much more terrible than oversized cats or carnivorous fish. Almost immidiately from setting foot, Kokoa and Moka recoiled.

"Yeesh, you weren't lying..." Winced Kokoa. "He really has _no_ sense of control. Feels like he's engaged in full-blown war over there. At least the power's just vampiric, no interference from his demonic side."

**"Correct. Your usage of your supersensory detection is excellent. Very rare for one your age. Why, I remember Akasha had quite a lot of trouble when it came to detecting other youkai. If I had a coin for every time we got lost or followed the wrong trail-"** Then he noticed Lilith poking his cheek impatiently and realized he had been entering an 'old man rambling' state. **"But I digress. Yes, because we've temporarily suppressed his demonic side completely, he subconsciously calls on his vampiric one to compensate for the lack of power. Which, as you can see, results in **_**that**_**."**

And 'that' was Tsukune sitting in a meditative position, an orb and a whip in hand with a long handcuff over his Divine Lock, the other end of which ended to Ruby. A Ruby that looked more than a little bit frazzled.

The reason to that became obvious as Tsukue's youki flared out of his control and the poor witch was electrocuted. When the group realized that she wasn't screaming in _pain_, but in _pleasure_, they blushed. As the flux continued to stubbornly resist it's bearer's efforts to reel it in, four girls, a robed man and a pixie became witnesses to what many would call an 'orgasm'.

Suspiciously, Yukari and Kokoa were found with identical nosebleeds, though one cursed while the other looked on hungrily. Kurumu tried to stop the woman from taking 'advantage' of Tsukune by smashing a weaponized Kou-chan on her head, promptly knocking her out mid-wail.

"S-sheesh! And here I thought she was the most level-headed of us! She's the greatest pervert I've ever seen!" Raged the succubus.

That drew a chuckle from her duet partner. "Have you ever looked at a mirror lately? Because I swear, some mornings you almost copy her just by looking at Tsukune."

"S-shut up!" She didn't deny it though. Really, some mornings he looked so _yummy_... It was with little surprise her blush deepened when those thoughts entered her mind and she was promptly subjected to the group's laughter.

"Gah... no good, I just can't control it..." Panted Tsukune, letting the orb and whip to the ground, just barely realizing there was company around him. "What the... what are you girls doing here?" He asked, surprise clear in his voice.

"Aww, you act as if you don't like us here!" Pouted Kurumu, draping herself on him as usual. "And here I thought I could steal you from Ruby-san. I'm so jealous right now, doing this and that with her!"

The poor boy. He knew what the girl referred to, but he just couldn't say it, he'd have _died_ of embarassment. "Kurumu-chan!"

The girl giggled and poked out her tongue. "Relax, I know, she's just a big pervert. Makes me consider if all witches are perverts..."

In another dimension, the mother of a child genius witch sneezed softly before looking around; everything was perfect for their 'dungeon cosplay' night. She giggled as she played the 'damsel in distress' and awaited her 'knight in shining armor' to come and save her.

Kurumu was quickly pried off the male by the hands of the other two of the group, Yukari preferring to stay back and blush, remembering some of the scenes she had walked in when she was younger, and less perverted. Sometimes, having eidetic memory _sucked_. Kokoa on the other hand preferred to shake her head.

"So what exactly went on in here Tsukune-san?" She asked, much more polite than usual. Because usually she just called him 'Aono' or 'Tsukune-senpai', preferring not to get too close to him. "Your power was pretty much out of control, was it the orb and whip?"

The boy nodded as he wiped his forehead with a hand, perspiration gathering there from the many hours he had kept on practicing. "As expected of our number-one detective, Kokoa-chan." He said, smiling. "Yep, the orb repels my demonic powers, letting my vampiric blood take over. The whip cancels out the seal, allowing me full access to my youki, or well one side of my youki. Still, didn't expect it to be _that_ hard to control..."

"It's because you have a large amount, Tsukune-san." Said Moka, looking admiringly at him. He really _did_ have a lot of youki, even her other side admitted to that. He still wasn't at _her_ level of course, but considering he was a human less than a year ago... "Most ayashi come into their power slowly, you took a giant leap forward. Ura-chan says that it's like her in a way; even as a child we had too much youki to safely use. Until we learned to control it, we were pretty much isolated from anything, and any_one_, that broke easily."

It did make a weird kind of sense. "I think I understand. Still, it's just unfair how hard it is to control it!" He whined, though it was more mocking even then.

**"So how long do you expect this to take?"** Asked the Headmaster making almost everyone jump; they had forgotten he was there with them.

Tsukune sighed. "At the rate I'm going? Forever."

"Not true, Tsukune-san." Said Ruby, having recovered from both his youki and Kurumu's homerun. "You have already learned to control it a bit."

"But it's still not much of a progress is it? I don't know, I just hoped things would be easy for a change..."

"Idiot." Said Kokoa haughtily. "I told you before; life isn't fair, your demon isn't nice and you have to do something about it. If you have time to whine, then train."

"So you still remember these words Kokoa? You've really come a long way since _you_ were a crybaby. Well done." And that voice, that was so similar to Outer Moka's, but also charged with power and confidence. She smirked from her place at the side of the gawking group, the whip Belmont in hand.

"I-Inner Moka? How did you get out?" Cried out Kurumu, prompting a slap to the back of her head from Mizore.

"Idiot, Tsukune told us, didn't he? The whip cancels out seals. Even Moka's Rosario."

"Precisely. This way, I can help you all train. You, Tsukune, will need to learn to control your power a bit before joining. Think of it as a goal; if you don't make it, I won't train you. And that would be a pity now, wouldn't it?"

Maybe it was the way she looked at him when she spoke, maybe it was the way she stood, maybe it was the whip she had comfortably wrapped around one of her long legs, but Tsukune couldn't help but blush. And she was right; it was one hell of an incentive. "R-right..."

"But, since I'm here anyway..." And then the vampiress proceeded to bite down on his neck and drink his blood, which became infused with his youki once he realized what was happening.

There was no mistaking the sounds the vampire made once the warm, life-infused blood rushed down her throat and the donor could hardly contain his own rumbling of the same nature with her body so pressed on his own. That of course provoked quite a bit of glaring from the girls around, even Kokoa.

The newest of the group might not have liked Tsukune in _that_ way, but she sure as hell was jealous of him. She wanted her onee-sama time too! It wasn't fair that he hogged her all the time!

"Exquisite as always Tsukune." She complimented once she was over, sealing the wound with a small lick over the puncture wounds. "I wonder how strong you will really become, your blood becomes tastier every time you fight, every time you progress."

Falling back to a habit of his human days, Tsukune rubbed the back of his head embarassed.

Unfortunately Kurumu chose to interfere. "Hey! Stop hogging my Destined One, Moka! I don't care if you're Inner or Outer, but you're taking way too long drinking his blood! Are you trying to seduce my Tsukune?"

It was a good thing that Mizore reacted badly to Kurumu's claim or Moka would have found herself in a rather weird conundrum. She really _was_ taking her time drinking his blood, not sucking on it ravenously like her less-mannered other side, but gently coaxing it out and enjoying every second it spent on her tongue before slowly letting it flow down her throat, like fine wine. She wouldn't admit it to anyone though, but spending all that time with her arms around the boy, no _man_ she decided, gave her a very good image of how trained he was. Clearly those six months he had spent at school instead of home had given him a great physique, one she took every chance to admire, even subconsciously. There were many male vampires after all whose bodies were not nearly as trained. That definitely gave Tsukune more weight when it came to him deserving to have been born a vampire, but also made the contrast of his 'so close but not quite' situation all the harsher.

Inner sighed. She just couldn't escape introspection these days, could she? At least she could have chosen a worse place and company to do it. "Your petty and pointless squabbles aside, we have all training to do, even you little sister. So, while Tsukune tries to get his power under some control..." Her eyes seemed to glow red and four girls in front of her reflexively took a few steps back. "Get ready for training from hell!"

On the sidelines, the Headmaster shook his head, amused. These youngsters had gone through enough troubles to traumatize most others, but they kept on undeterred. Still, he could see the beginnings of cracks in their relationships, regardless of how strong they seemed, or were. And yet, it was exactly through these cracks that their relationships would be galvanized and strengthened. He only hoped they could survive the coming troubles.

Already there were some who suspected, or even knew, Tsukune's demonic bloodline and they were pressing him for action. There was Kagome Liliko who was looking for a chance to get revenge for being publicly humiliated. There was remnants of Anti-thesis still at school, giving Fairy Tale information about everything they did. Then there was Fairy Tale itself. The organization bent on universal destruction. The Headmaster sighed, if only Akasha had been a bit more patient for them to find another way to seal Alucard, then she would have been around still. And if that had happened, Fairy Tale wouldn't have even _thought_ about going against the humans. But now, not only was the strongest of the three Dark Lords sealed more tightly than even Inner Moka and her Rosario, but the accursed organization had the backing and support of the Shuzen Family.

Maybe the Snow Priestess was right, maybe it was all for naught.

But until he had done his darndest, until he had exhausted all options and burned out completely on this task of his, then he wouldn't accept defeat.

He only hoped that his students would one day understand and forgive him for his machinations, for pushing them like he did and making them fight in a war that was not their own.

He hoped. That was all he could do at the moment when, despite his many plans and schemes, so many more things hung out of his reach.

Mayhaps he should not have hoped as much or thought his students as firm as he did. Mayhaps he should have given Kyouko's letter instead of saving it for a 'peaceful time'. Mayhaps he should have realized that as endless as a person's potential for good may be, they also have an endless potential for evil.

Mayhaps he should have remembered he was using children, not adults.

Then things could have gone different.

Though, in the end, would it have _really_ mattered? Where does Fate stop and Destiny begins? Up until which point is one free to choose and until what point is he controlled by circumstances or blinded by beliefs as to one's real choices?

Fate cannot be changed. Destiny _can_. Youkai Gakuen and the entire ayashi race would come to know that in time.

**A/N: Hello, hello my dear readers!**

**This is the last chapter for a long time, I'm afraid. I'm up for boot-camp on Tuesday and won't be out at **_**least**_** for 2 weeks. Which means I can't even write, much less update.**

**I'm aiming for an office job however, which would mean I'll get a tad more free time than others and may even get the chance to write and even publish. Otherwise, the only times I can update will be when I get leave. It's 8months total for me, but I got 2 months of leave. So six months of not writing.**

**Might as well kill myself and get this torture over with, but I don't think Hell has PCs that would let me post.**

**Then again, Bill Gates...**

***Ahem* This chapter took a bit more to write, but I needed a small break after my 19k word marathon of the previous chapter. Still, hope you liked it and please review.  
**

* * *

**Today, on this 9/6/2012, I, Soulblazer87, do hereby leave this site, possibly forever.**

**I shall not update this, or any other story.**

**I shall leave them on, however. Should you desire to follow my stories, do so in my new site of residence: www dot yourfanfiction dot com.**


	17. Dreams And Changes

_Dreams And Changes  
_

Bodies writhed, tangled together, heated by friction called forth by naked skin.

A man and a woman, but anything else was fleeting and hazy.

His hands were wound around her waist, holding her to his chest, muscled and hard, all the while her hands griped his head and pulled it towards her lips.

Touches lit up burning rivers on sweaty skin and soft yet hungry kisses were the only force capable of quenching the inferno that was ruling the two.

Lips wet with want and desire teased each other and explored skin that was previously only imagined of, revealing small scars that made their bodies that much more perfect to each other.

Teeth teased and nibbled on warm, perspiring skin, a smile hungry and filled with lustful mirth.

Two bodies moved in perfect unity, joined together as one, having become one in all ways that mattered, each the perfect pair to the other.

Their primal dance of awakened passion sped up at some unseen, yet perfectly felt signal, their passion seemingly overwhelming whatever rational mind the two lovers had maintained.

Faster and faster. Stronger and stronger.

In Youkai Gakuen several girls and a boy woke up gasping. Before realizing they desperately needed a change in clothing, and bedding.

That was not to say they didn't rush straight back into the dreamworld, seeking to feel again that burning desire, that unspeakable pleasure.

After all, it was Saturday morning and that meant no school or other responcibilities.

For most anyway, because that morning found one Shuzen Kokoa feeling hesitant for one of the very few times in her life. It was almost as if she dreaded what would happen soon. And with good cause; she always met her 'master', though he really only was her teacher, on sundays at six o'clock in the afternoon. Other than that, they never saw each other or spoke to each other. For him to demand, _demand_, of her to visit the training room at five in the bloody morning on Saturday... Something was wrong and she sure didn't like it. Mostly because if there was something wrong with her teacher, she wasn't sure she was anywhere near able of fixing it herself.

So she steeled herself and looked at Kou-chan, her bat resting on her shoulder. It nudged her gently, comforting her.

If only it also got rid of the feeling of impending pain and doom...

With a long sigh, she pushed open the heavy, wooden door and walked into the building, a place secured solely for those possessing an official rank in the school, such as the Student Police. It was made of stone, expertly placed together if in a simple design. Having lived in a castle for a long time, Kokoa could sure admire the architecture and apparent flawlessness of the stonemasons that built it. Torches lined the walls, providing flickering orange light and a soft scent of burnt wood. Perfect atmosphere and very comforting for the vampire girl, in a 'homey' way at least.

Her shoes made quick, harsh sounds as they landed on the stone floor, their owner rushing to meet her trainer. Finally after a few moments, she arrived at his 'training room'. Another pair of large, wooden doors were pushed and she entered the room. It was more like a large hall in fact. A hall that had every wall covered with weapon racks and every single of its many pillars had a torch on it, sheding ample, yet not too much, light.

In the center of the room, a large yin-yang symbol with five circles placed around the outer rim, a single symbol for each element inscribed inside. In the absolute middle of that, a man sat down meditating.

She would recognize that man _anywhere_. Her teacher, trainer and even 'master' as he demanded to be called.

Kurogane Sekki. A teen that was terrifyingly skilled with any and all forms of weapons and unarmed combat. A person deserving the title 'genius' when it came to battle.

Even in the flickering light of torches, she could see his tanned skin and rippling form. He had trained long and hard to acquire a body that no one would be opposed to having, his human form being strong enough to out-power a full-grown orc. And better leave his monster forms out of it. Even the long, loose, Student Police outfit could not completely hide his impressive muscles, honed to an absolute perfection. But Kokoa knew that he wasn't all strength; he had trained in everything, including speed. He looked rather bulky, but she knew that he could easily move fast enough to leave an afterimage behind to even _her_, even though he was quick to remind her that she hadn't come anywhere near the end of her potential skill.

He soundlessly got up and turned to look at his disciple and Kokoa had to quell the rush to blush. His face had a rough look, but it suited him. Black hair in a semi-long cut fell only slightly longer than his ears and his unkept long stubble gave him a handsome visage, enhanced further by his deep, dark eyes. The only thing that kept from his looks was his almost unnaturally harsh lines, the way he seemed to constantly scowl and frown. If he didn't have that, he'd have had more girls after him than even Gin managed to get.

Kokoa bowed her head forward a bit, a sign of her respect to her teacher and smiled when he mimicked the gesture. He had never asked for anything more than to be called 'master' when training but she knew that he was very pleased when she showed her respect. It made sense to her in a way; from what she had learned he had spent a long time seeking even the slightest sign of acknowledgement. That she gave it to him without question always made him relax his rough features. Sometimes it even made him smile. "Good morning master, I'm here as you asked."

"Good morning my disciple." His voice was a bit rough but also cultured, a paradox seeming to emerge from his ayashi origin as a Golem. At least he lacked any of these stupid accents that many monsters had adopted. "It is good to see you. Name the five aspects of combat."

It wasn't a question and wasn't meant to be. He had hammered, sometimes literally, the answer into Kokoa's mind and she quickly replied. "The five aspects of combat, also known as the five elements of fighting or the five pillars or five dragons. They are, in no particular order; the aspect of Fire, endless and unstoppable strength. The aspect of Water, flexibility, fluidity and control. The aspect of Lightning, precision and focus. The aspect of Wind, extreme speed be it in action or thought. The aspect of Earth, endurance and stamina, an unmovable defence. Together they are considered the bases of martial arts."

Her teacher nodded. "Almost correct; they are not a martial art, but a martial philosophy. And it is time for you to learn why. First I will explain some things about myself. First of all, you must understand that for the most part, I grew up in the human world, as a human. Even as a child, I didn't know I was different, for reasons I cannot divulge. But, I always had an Ayashi's desire for combat. So I learned martial arts. Starting with Karate and Taekwondo, I later moved on to Kung Fu and more esoteric, or even less esoteric, forms. I learned more martial arts than most humans have even heard of. Through that, I learned something very simple; all martial arts are, at their core, but a single art."

He took a deep breath and gave a pause, knowing she had heard all that before, back when he first trained her. Then he started on what she was about to learn that day. "Learning new martial arts became easier and easier for a single reason; I _already knew_ most of them. When I realized this, I took every martial art I ever learned, even a few I hadn't learned, and disected them. I tore them apart to their most simple, basic elements, the basics of the basics and realized that they all were but a single art form. An art form that comprises of the five aspects you listed before. Every martial art, no matter how old or complicated, can be traced down to these aspects and how it balances them. A single martial art may give focus to fire and wind, such as Muai Thay, or it may give weight to wind and water, such as Capoeira, or even to fire and earth, such as Hung Gar Kung Fu. Others may use three or four aspects, but never all five. Instead of learning these arts separately, I tore them down to their basics and reconstructed them, using these aspects. As a result, I don't know a martial art, or even many martial arts. I know martial arts. I can perform any and all martial art 'attacks' or 'skills', simply by seeing them once. And _you_ my disciple... are about to learn to do the same."

"What?" Kokoa gawked. She knew her teacher was awesome, she had seen him take down thirty Student Police members with bare hands and without moving an inch from where he stood in his human form, but what he proposed was preposterous. If that were true, then it meant that every creator of every martial art went at it the _wrong way_. Not to mention her surprise at his decision to teach her that ability of his. Something that must have been very precious to him. Surely he wouldn't just give it away to some girl he met not six months ago!

"Then answer me this; why did I insist on teaching you the use of the spear as a weapon? Why not the use of your more preferred and usual weapons?" He asked her.

"W-well... I guess... the reach advantage?" She answered hesitantly. Partially because she hated her slight build. She always wanted to be tall and magnificent like her onee-sama. Damn her short stature!

"Not exactly. The reach advantage was important, of course, but there was also another reason; I was already teaching you to adapt to the other aspects. You depended too much on Fire, which wasn't bad per se considering the fact that you _are_ a vampire. But, your forms lacked any semblance of speed or grace in combat. However a spear depends relatively little in strength and more on fluidity, grace and speed. By teaching you something that is diametrically opposed to what you usually do, I was already conditioning you to learn _my_ martial art, which for simplicity's sake will be called Goryu Tenchuu, the Five Dragon Heavenly Pillars. Who knows, maybe one day you will learn the _sixth_ pillar."

"E-eeeh? But... but... but why me? Why now? I'm not ready to..." She stammered, Kou-chan nodding on her shoulder. She wasn't ready for something like that and besides, she should be getting trained by her onee-sama!

"Exactly because you think you are not ready. As for why you? Because you have the same talent I did, the same drive to become stronger. Unlike your sister, you weren't born a genius monster. But, if one were to look closely enough, they would see that you _are_ a genius in your own way. And why now? Silly girl, did you think you are the only ones going against Fairy Tail? I said I grew up as a human, that means I grew up with a human family that love me very much. If I let Fairy Tail do as they please, my human family will be in danger. I am _not_ going to allow that. Besides... you may lack that instinct yet, but I can tell; a great war is coming, and a great battle will happen soon. That single fight will determine the fate of our races. And... in that fight... I will die."

"What?" There was more than surprise there, in Kokoa's voice. There was genuine fear. "B-but you're Kurogane Sekki, _the_ Kurogane Sekki! I've seen you take down Kuyou, I've seen you fight and I don't think there's anyone strong enough to kill you in Fairy Tail!"

"You're wrong; I will not be killed. But me, as myself, will die. We Golems were not born, but _built_... as a servitor race. The only reason we're not mindless automatons is because we have what's known as a 'Golem Heart', an artifact that safeguards our personality and emotions. If that is removed, then even the weakest witch can turn us into soul-less soldiers under her complete command. Because that 'Golem Heart' gives us emotions... I cannot access the full level of my skills, the true mastery of the Goryu Tenchuu style. That's why, in order to protect everyone, when the time comes, I will remove my Golem Heart myself. Then Ruby-san will take control over me and use me to fight. However, a Golem Heart cannot be placed back and, even if a new one was made, then my personality, my sense of self, my memories, would all be gone. I would not be 'Kurogane Sekki' any more. Which is why I will die. Which in turn means that I must give you all my knowledge, all my skills, lest the style I made is lost."

The shell-shocked Kokoa could not find anything to reply, not that it would matter; he was her master, she was his disciple and she was going to learn whatever he was going to teach her. When his face was carved with a vicious smile, she knew she was about to learn what that feeling of impending doom was about.

She was right. "Using the weapons stored in this room, I can mimic the attack practically any ayashi. Which means that I'm going to use each and every trick and technique in my arsenal to teach you how to fight. Prepare yourself my disciple. Your true training begins... _now_!" And then he was upon her, a jian having sprung up from somewhere right into his hands, already cutting at her.

Kokoa had the urge to whimper about her mommy, but knew that wouldn't do anything to help her. The only thing that could help her... would be fighting back and finishing Sekki's training before he _killed_ her!

"Did you just feel like someone you know is trying to fight for his life?" Asked Moka after a small tremor ran through the ground, too short to be an earthquake.

Truth be told, she wanted to stay at bed and dream some more, especially if it meant having _that_ dream again, but they needed to study. At least that placed her near her friends, so it wasn't all _that_ bad. Would have been better if it was just her and Tsukune in her room and...

_"Focus Omote!"_ Screamed Inner Moka at her pink-haired equivalent. The girl was almost bleeding from her nose and had a dazed look on her face. _"You know it is impossible, what you seek. He is, after all, but a mortal. You are as aware as I of what would happen if you even did that with him, let alone took him as a mate."_ Destruction, that's what. Her 'pure bloodline' demanded several things of her, not the least of which that she maintains its purity. Of course, if he were a vampire, or just immortal for that matter, things could change but... Inner Moka shook her head, dreaming of what could and should have been only brought more heartach.

Though she had to admit; she wouldn't mind if she had that dream again...

At least she was free to dream and drool and imagine all sorts of things within her prison. There had to be at least some benefits to being imprisoned inside that seal.

"Whatever" Said Kurumu dismissively. "I'm finally getting some time with my Destined One, no way I'm wasting it on someone else! It's been two weeks since we managed to get together like this Tsukune!"

And it was true; it had been two weeks since his training had began. Admittedly, it hadn't been going as well as he'd have liked, but at least he was making progress. He could now willingly suppress his demonic powers in favor of his vampiric ones, not to mention able to reduce his passive youki leakage. Now he only had to learn to do the same while in combat as well as learn to fight with only his vampiric abilities. Of course that's easier said than done. "Sorry Kurumu-chan, everyone... It's been hard on me too. Between classes, being the Student Committee president and Nekonome-sensei pushing for me becoming the class president as well... It's been hard to even get time for a shower most days."

Mizore chose that time to look at him with doe eyes. "Does that mean that a shower is more important than us?"

The poor boy reeled back at her pitiful expression, feeling in all ways as if he had just kicked a puppy. "N-no! But some days I really _reek_ of sweat."

Not one to let a chance to tease him pass by, Kurumu drapped herself over his shoulder, for the nth time that day and whispered in his ear. "No fear of that Tsukune-kun, a bit of sweat on you is simply evidence of how manly you are and how hard you train. Besides... we could always take a shower _together_..."

Could he be really blamed for the way he blushed and how his body reacted?

Thankfully, Moka came to his 'rescue'. "Kurumu-chan! Stop saying such embarassing things!" What he _didn't_ know was the fact that Moka wished she could do exactly that with him. She could not be blamed for that too much either; between teenage hormones, the dream last night and the effect his blood had on her, she was feeling ready to snap! At least her Inner was much better in the whole 'self control' thing. If marginally.

The boy nodded thankfully at Moka for saving him, though sometimes he questioned whether he _really_ wanted to be saved from such a fate. After all, despite his own reservations about getting closer to them, he too was under the effect of teenage hormones. Not to mention the fact that Kurumu was a vision of sensuality that needed no supernatural _Charm_ magic to make jaws drop. "T-Thank you Moka-san... But, can we get back to the lessons? I'm going to have to train with Ruby-san again later..." He was really sad as he admitted that; he wanted some time off.

Which he couldn't afford, he reminded himself. He had to get stronger, much stronger. He had to focus on becoming more powerful in order to protect them all.

"You're right~desu!" Piped up Yukari. "We've got to hurry! The sooner we finish this, the more time we'll get together~desu!"

With that, they were back to studying, the whole group trying to help out each other with what they could do best.

Inside Moka's rosario, a certain vampiress grumbled. It wasn't fair! She had _still_ not taken her day off! The only times she was out was to fight or to train them. She wasn't a tool or weapon dammit! She had needs! Needs like Tsukune's blood, shopping, Tsukune's blood, having fun, Tsukune's blood, relaxing... Did we mention Tsukune's blood? It was so not fair that she was isolated in that annoying prison, unable to live in the real world...

Unable to drink Tsukune's blood.

Someone should _really_ have told Inner Moka that she should follow her own advice and stop thinking about that boy so much. But of course no one _ever_ dared chastice her for fear of her legendary wrath and even more legendary kicks.

And so the sealed woman decided to make herself known, or in the case of her Outer shell heard. _"Oi, Omote, tomorrow's Sunday right? I want my day off! There's a place I could easily pass the time nice, Mononoke Arcade. I want to visit it, as myself. And I want Tsukune to be with me. Now tell him!"_

The pink-haired girl looked at the raging rosario hovering in front of her, its gem looking like a red, slitted eye. "Eeeh? Tomorrow? But I wanted to!" She whined. Truth is, _she_ wanted to have Tsukune with her at the Mononoke Arcade and have him shop with her and have a coffee and pass the time... Not fair how her Inner wanted that for herself! Well, as said Inner was quick to remind her, it wasn't fair how she was able to be next to him all the time. So, with a short 'conversation', Inner Moka convinced her other side to let her have her day.

"Well, are you going to share what's going on with the rest of us?" Kurumu's somewhat ironic voice shook the girl from her conversation with her other side.

"Gyah! Ah... err... well... It's... It's Ura-chan..." Said Moka hesitantly, cringing slightly at how 'Ura-chan' yelled at her at being called in such a demeaning way. "She... she wants... she wants a day off... _tomorrow_."

"Yay! We get to see Inner Moka-san for an entire day tomorrow! I want to ask her so many things~desu! Kokoa-chan will be so happy too~desu!" Piped up Yukari, rather pleased at seeing her idol's true face again. Not that she had any problem with the surface Moka, she had just interacted so little with the hidden one.

Kurumu and Mizore however did not like the way Moka was looking at Tsukune. They had a very bad feeling about it. A _very_ bad feeling about it.

Turns out their fears came out right. "W-well... s-she also wants T-Tsukune-san w-w-with her..."

"What? No way! I'm not letting her get my Destined One!" Screamed Kurumu, quickly supported by a silent, yet rather angry-looking Mizore. Their threat was quite real; they were _not_ handing him over to Inner Moka and her temptations! They still weren't over what had happened at the Dorian encounter.

"But it's not fair for her either..." Said Tsukune, knowing he may get some nasty counter from Kurumu, probably in the form of an irresistible pout or something. He'd rather prefer getting mashed into her bosom, but there was no way he was admitting _that_ out loud. Not like he could afford her to do that to him too much; it may make her think he even had a chance with her. "Inner Moka-san is always rescuing us and helping us. It's not fair how she must spend all this time sealed and only get out when there's trouble. She's our friend, right? We can't _use_ her like she's a weapon or something!"

That was quick to deflate Kurumu. Truth be told, she knew all of it. But she didn't like the idea of Inner Moka spending an entire day with Tsukune in an area that was practically _made_ for couples! "Ugh... I know, I know. Inner Moka can be annoying, but she's our friend... I still don't like it!"

"You don't like math either, but here you are doing it~desu..." Said Yukari, mocking the succubus. "Get it through your thick skull, boob-monster; Tsukune-san is going to become Moka-san's lover and then they will take me into their bed where we-" She was thankfully shut up by Mizore freezing her solid.

"S-sheesh, you have such a mouth on you, despite being a brat... Cool your head and hormones a bit..." But her scowl wasn't directed at the flash-frozen witch but at the vibrating pendant on Moka's chocker. One could say it was looking forward to that day off, but her instincts told her that the prisoner was looking more forward to being alone with Tsukune than the excursion itself. Maybe Inner Moka was finally melting? Nah, couldn't be, right?

"Oh, and Ura-chan says 'Wear something suitable. I won't have a commoner at my side tomorrow', her words, I swear!" She cried out when she saw Kurumu's glare.

And so Tsukune was left to wonder at what could be considered 'suitable', seeing as how he had _no_ idea about what Inner Moka would be wearing. He sighed; sometimes he _really_ wished he had a girl's understanding of the eternal mystery called 'fashion sense'.

The next day, said boy was trying hard to stay still and not fuss over what he was wearing. He had gone for a simple, yet adequate ensemble. At the very least he could justify himself by claiming he had no clothing beyond that and a few uniforms; having become what he was, he couldn't very well ask for money or help from his parents.

He was alone now, in more ways than one could think, and it weighed heavily on him. At least the Headmaster was kind enough to grant him a small stipend, mostly due to him being a Council President, but it definitely wasn't enough to be light-heartedly spent on clothing. In another burst of luck for the boy, he also didn't have to spend any of the money, so he had gathered quite a sum. Not much, but at least he could afford to pay for the day, if Moka didn't have any extravagant requests anyway.

The silver chain on his left hand rattled a bit and he glanced at it, hidden under his white button-up shirt, which was paired by a pair of black jeans. Not much but it was all he had managed to salvage. The chocker on his neck was easily noticeable as he had left a few buttons undone to display a bit of his chest, he was quite proud of his tone and tan, thank you very much. He had even shaved for the day, knowing full well Inner Moka wanted him to look flawless.

He sighed again and re-checked the clock, waiting for his 'date' to show up.

Of course it was that time exactly that his ears had to detect the sound of a female walking towards him; the sound of hard soles despite a light weight on them was unmistakeable. Wanting to know who it was, Tsukune looked up from his wrist...

And gawked.

Inner Moka was walking towards him, dressed in a perfect dress, made to reveal and yet conceal all her curves in just the right ways. The simple, yet elegant, strapless black dress seemed to hug her figure and reveal things Tsukune didn't even know she had on her. Then there was the long piece of white cloth wrapped around her shoulders, giving more attention to her long neck, face and, of course, bust. Despite wearing very little in terms of make-up and a relatively simple purse, it still only made her look better.

Part of Tsukune wondered if the dress was made for her and that particular occasion, while another part questioned if her could even be anywhere near her radiance.

Another, mostly muted part of him wondered if he would look like her boyfriend.

Yet another part of him was readying itself to growl threateningly at whomever was brazen enough to even look at her with any hint of lust. _Why_ he would react like that however, he dare not admit to himself.

"G-Good morning Moka-san!" He greeted happily, still stunned by how she looked. "You got the Belmont from Ruby-san?" A logical question seeing as how she was out without her seal being released. A seal that seemed to bounce off the bare skin of her neck way too enticingly for it to be legal.

She nodded, regally like always. "Yes. This trip won't be all fun for you; I can still train you even if it's not direct confrontation. I'll have you know that we vampires have many abilities, it is why we are the strongest. Now come, we should hurry if I am to enjoy this day to the fullest. At least you dressed adequately."

"T-thank you..." He stuttered, taken aback by that compliment. He must look better than he thought. Still, nowhere near as good as she did and he was quick to point that out. "You look absolutely stunning though, Moka-san! It's almost blinding to be near you!"

The silver-haired woman turned to the side, revealing more of her neck and flicking her hair with a long, slender arm. It made her 'date' gulp actually. "Naturally. Being who I am, it is only natural that I look perfect at all times. Unfortunately, I am usually forced to fight in that school outfit." She let out a soft sigh as she took her place next to the male in waiting for their bus to come. "At least this way I can enjoy myself for a day."

The awaited means of transportation arrived at exactly its appointed time and once again, its driver managed to creep Tsukune out. He had no idea how the man did it either; he had been near the cigar-smoking driver for a long time and he had been facing things that would make most monsters quiver in abject terror. And yet this one single man creeped him out about as much as the Headmaster! They _must_ be related or something...

The ride itself was quite calm and let the pair talk calmly and softly, unconcerned with what others' preconceptions. Moka even got a chance to drink some of Tsukune's blood, enjoying every drop that passed her ruby-red lips and making sure to lick the puncture wounds close. Amusingly enough, she didn't even admit it to herself that the reason she did it in fact _wasn't_ the little red stains that might ruin Tsukune's shirt. Nor could she convince herself that she didn't want _him_ doing the same to her, biting down on her neck and drinking her blood and then licking the wounds close...

Quickly she looked away, lest he sees her blush, cursing on the inside. She could not afford it! She had to remain strong and harsh! She had to push him away! Somehow, she had to find a way to make herself unreachable to him. Unfortunately for her, her resolve to do that shook with every brave deed he managed, with every drop of blood she tasted, with every look of caring he gave her, her and her other side. She almost hated her lineage these days; what wouldn't she give to be a lesser youkai. Then even being with a human wouldn't be impossible, though frowned upon. Not to mention he would be there for the greatest part of her life rather than become a fleeting memory...

Tsukune's hand lightly touched her shoulder and his voice, soft and low reached her. "Moka-san, we're there." She must have dazed off, looking outside the bus and into the ever-shifting patterns of nothingness that created the interdimensional tunnel network.

She shook her head a bit to clear it and smiled at him, producing a blush from the boy. "Of course, you're right. We should hurry." And then she was the one dragging him off into the large plaza known as 'Mononoke Arcade', a place from monsters and for monsters.

"It's very lively today." Commented Moka off-handedly, looking around at various shops. "This place has everything a monster needs, and we can even act as our true selves, though we should stay in human form. This is good for you, Tsukune, as no one will realize you are different, or in what way. Also, the fact that there's so many monsters here is a good chance for some of your special training."

"Training? I don't have a problem with it, but how am I going to train _here_?" He asked, following her into a clothings shop.

Moka chose to ignore his question for the moment and instead check out a few dresses, humming something about how it's Outer that makes all the choices in their wardrobe.

Poor Tsukune was only given bags to hold as they left, much to the amusement of the girl next to him.

"Oh, don't look so disgruntled Tsukune. Not all forms of training are born in combat." And now damn him, he was blushing as his imagination was re-ignited thanks to his raging hormones. "I told you that we vampires have several abilities beyond our strength. You are a Ghoul, very close to being a vampire and should possess these powers as well. The first, and simplest of them, is our ability to detect youki. Think of it like a bat's sonic radar, only working off the energy other monsters give out, actively or passively. If you use it, you will depend on your insight more than your regular sight, which should increase your reflexes tremendously. Not to mention draw out any hidden foes. Now come, I feeling too warm, I need something to cool myself."

And lo and behold there was an ice-cream stand that sold all kinds of flavours. _Literally_. Tsukune was actually left to wonder if chocolate and blood actually taste good as ice-cream or if it was a 'vampire thing'. He found out that yes, yes it did actually, especially when it's paid by your own hard-earned money, not to mention in the company of a beauty like Moka who was also enjoying her own frozen delight under the shade of a tree.

It became quite obvious to him why it was considered a place for couples to meet. It had it all; shopping centers, super markets, theaters, restaurants...

Somewhere beyond his hearing, Tsukune's wallet wept. He didn't hear it over Moka's smile of enjoyment.

Continuing their walk became an ever-increasing weight on Tsukune, though he _was_ lightened significantly in the money department. He couldn't after all afford to let Moka pay for her things; a proper gentleman pays for his date, even if it was completely and utterly unofficial and a strictly one-time thing.

Why would she go out with him anyway? She, either side of her, was just too bright, too beautiful, to be tarnished by his presence.

It was after a break for lunch, which consisted of various foods the Aono was unaware of even how they should be pronounced, thankfully Moka was able to order for him. She even seeme to know exactly how much money he had and aiming to bleed him exactly dry; not enough to not have to pay but utterly penniless otherwise.

At least his sensory training was going better. Able to isolate his demonic side's interference, youkai-wise at least, he was able to 'feel' the ayashi going about their lives around him. Some he could feel clearer than others, while others were almost hidden to him, he quickly inquired as to why.

"Simple," Answered his teacher-slash-date as she looked up from her plate, piercing him with her ruby-red eyes. "youki is something generated from us passively, but most learn to consciously buffer it and keep it concealed, hidden away. It is more a gesture of civility than anything else; flaring your youki, even if doing so passively rather than actively, can be considered an act of hostility since it plays such a great role in our abilities. However, even if one masters the art of suppresing their youki, it still remains a conscious proceedure, even if barely. Which in turn means that if one becomes filled with emotion, especially anger and other negative ones, their ability to mask their presence fades away, making them stand out more to your senses. It is pleasing that you have learned to detect that difference already. A vampire would have learned to do it on their own, but it is excellent progress considering the fact that you are a human."

Needless to say Tsukune flinched away from her 'compliment', but he didn't notice that she did so as well. They both hated his humanity, for much the same reason. To Moka, his humanity signified his 'not exactly right' situation, him being almost a vampire but ultimately limited to the mockery of a Ghoul. To Tsukune it meant something else; that which he could not be, the weak and yet so needed part of him. If only he weren't human, he wouldn't have become an Akuchi, he would have been able to be with his family, he would have stood a chance. But he was a human, in the end, after it all, he was only human. No, he was even less than that; he was a cursed, hateful being that hated the very ones he cherished. He was a being, a monster, that had very real and very serious thoughts about ramming his claws deeply into people simply for existing.

How then could he even be allowed in the presence of good people like his friends? How could he let himself be happy when in truth he was nothing but a born murderer? How could he relax when doing so had a very real chance of letting down his guard and setting loose the demon caged within him?

He could hardly sleep at nights any more, rarely resting for more than a couple of hours and that was when he was completely exhausted. Sleep made him vulnerable, he believed, so it had to be avoided. At least the Headmaster's meditative techniques helped him maintain his sanity even at the face of ever-decreasing sleeping time.

The meal was finished in an uncomfortable silence, but Moka was partially grateful to it. If she could make him feel uncomfortable with her, then it would be easier for him to let go of her. It would hurt still, but not nearly as much as if he had thought he actually had a chance.

After paying for the excessive meal, Tsukune and Moka began making their way back; his wallet was almost exhausted and they were both loaded with several bags from various shops. Moka would have to enjoy the rest of her free day at Youkai Gakuen. Which wasn't such a bad perspective really.

On their way to the bus station, they came across a shop Tsukune hadn't noticed before; a fortune teller. He chuckled a bit. Maybe he could try it out; Kyouko never let him visit one claiming they were all too 'suspicious'.

Entering the little hut-like tent was quick enough as there weren't many customers.

Across a large table with a pair of large six-candle candelabras sat an old woman that looked positively like a hag. No, she _really_ did, having green, leathery skin and more warts on one ear than most people have on their entire bodies. At least she didn't look at him as if he was 'lunch' or something. In her hands, she shuffled a deck of cards.

"Oh, a newcomer is it? I sense quite a bit of power in you young man and just as much in the lady beside you. Are you up for a reading? Keep in mind that the future always changes though and knowing about it may not be the wisest thing to do; who knows what can and cannot change in your game of Destiny and Fate?" She cackled then a bit as if amused by an inside joke.

Moka huffed there a bit. "I don't know why you wanted to come here Tsukune. I don't believe in Fate or Destiny. I make them with my own hands."

He chuckled slightly. "No reason really. I just never had my future read before, I just wanted to do it once." He was honest at least. Also, he wanted to hear someone say something good about the inevitable fight with his Inner Demon. Something other than the usual encouragement from his friends or the Headmaster's assurances. He wanted a prophecy, something to believe in. He wanted someone foreign to say he could do it. Someone that had nothing to gain or loose by his success or failure.

The old hag let out another cackle as she handed him the deck of cards. "This is a deck of Major Arcana. They may be a bit vague but they are always right if you know how to read them. Shuffle the deck as much as you want and draw out seven cards and place them in order on the table here."

The cards were large and made of hard leather, covered with mystic symbols he couldn't read. It made shuffling a bit hard, but at least he didn't mess up or embarass himself. Then, he put the deck down, spread it on the table and began pulling out his cards one by one and handing them over to the hag.

He was on the sixth when Moka suddenly dove at him and pulled him out of the way.

Good thing too because a large, scale-covered fist landed just where he stood. It then swiped to the side and the cloth tent was torn off its wooden supports, leaving the hag that owned it to scream in fear and scurry away with the cards in hand.

Moka and Tsukune rolled to the side and quickly looked at their attacker, finding him to be a full-grown troll; a large, strong monster with very tough skin and extreme regenerative abilities.

Unfortunately, it wasn't alone; it had another friend of the same race next to it.

"Kukuku..." Came a creepy laugh from behind the two and they turned to see yet another adversary, this time a dark creeper, a monster that thrived in the dark with a cloak made of it's own leathery skin and long, sharp claws that it used to strike from ambush. They were cowardly monsters though, but they were very good at using senses other than sight and that made them excellent ambushers. "You're here, just as we were told! Seems like we'll really have to give that reward after all!"

_'Reward? Told? Did someone betray us? But who? Only we knew where we'd be today...'_ Thought both Moka and Tsukune.

They weren't given much time to think about it when yet another large shape came from the sides, a large bipedal form that looked like a cross between a man and a mushroom. Moka sucked in a breath and cursed when it seemed to bow its head towards them and puff out a large cloud.

"Damn it! Tsukune, hold your breath and close your eyes!" She warned, knowing what an adult myconid could do with its spores. Not enough to disable either of them, but it could still be very dangerous with its allies.

Thankfully, most civilians had evacuated the place, but still it wasn't everyone and both vampires could tell from the scared tone of their youki signal. It was worse for Tsukune because that meant he couldn't freely transform into his other side; it would not only place others in danger but also reveal the fact that there is in fact an Akuchi still in existence.

The two Trolls and the dark creeper were under no such limitations however; they came equipped with protective masks, knowing what their ally could do.

Dodging a strong punch and falling right into the dark creeper's claws made Tsukune grunt as he lashed out blindly and missing. Moka wasn't having as much trouble, but she was forced to watch out for her more disabled friend rather than focus on taking down her troll. Not to mention that accursed Creeper that could almost completely erase its youki presence.

"Tsukune!" She said wasting a bit of her necessary oxygen supply. "Use your senses more!"

And then he was feeling like an idiot. In his rush to avoid getting hit, he had forgotten the very skill Moka had been teaching him throughout that day!

Calming himself forcefully, Tsukune stood still for only a second, reaching out with his youki sensor. Six lights answered his call and he quickly ruled out two of them; Moka's he could always recognize and the other one was filled with fear and terror, must belong to a civilian trapped in their fight or that hag. The other four however...

Tsukune's vampire-like youki surged into his muscles and he grinned ferally, unable to stop that reaction. Within him burst the furious instincts of a Ghoul, the battle-fury of a Vampire, sounding like an old war-song.

A crouch and he had evaded the Creeper's lashing claws before sending out a kick backwards, catching the surprised monster full in the stomach and sending it careening away and into a wall.

The troll roared in fury but it was unable to defend itself against Moka's sudden kick as she quickly changed targets and catching it by surprise.

A tactic that seemed to work very well with its other friend, though this case it was Tsukune who dished out the punishment with a powerful punch that almost blew up the troll's chest. Good thing it wasn't enough to kill it.

The myconid stumbled backwards as it tried to get away from the two furious teenagers, whispering words of mercy and apology. Too bad Moka was infuriated; it had ruined her day and most importantly... her _clothes_!

"KNOW YOUR PLACE!"

Yelling her old catch-phrase, she repeatedly slammed her heel onto the poor monster's body, grumbling things about how it destroyed her clothes, leaving poor Tsukune to shake and hope to never do something like that; he valued his life very, very much!

On the side, the hag watched on curiously. She had known from the moment that boy walked in that there was something strange with him. Then she looked down at the cards he had chosen and sighed. During her frightened flight from the combat, she had dropped the cards and they had gotten messed up, even though she had gathered them again. Also, she lacked the seventh card, the card that would reveal the result of the others combined... But she still could read _something_ about the boy. So, she turned the cards over.

Death, The Lovers, The Fool, Wheel Of Fortune, The Tower, The Hermit.

The hag looked from the cards in her hand to the boy and back again several times. With their order messed up, their meaning was impossible to identify, but she could still make out something about his future.

A choice would come and it would change much. It would all hang in the balance of a single moment, a moment that would define his life and that of those around him.

A small chuckle escaped from the hag before becoming an insane cackle.

A choice? Everything about this boy would depend on a single choice? What irony!

Still cackling, she vanished into the shadows to rescue what she could from her destroyed shack.

But Tsukune and Moka didn't stay there for long. Gathering their shopping bags, they dragged the now subdued Fairy Tail goons with them to a nearby Youkai Police station where they were 'deposited' so to speak. It wouldn't hold them, Fairy Tail would find a way to free them, but at least they would be unable to hurt anyone for a bit.

Then it was straight back to the Bus Station and then to the Academy. The ride back was silent and uncomfortable for both teens. Moka was still grumbling about her day off being ruined and how she wanted another one while Tsukune thought more about what the attackers had said, about how someone had tipped them off.

He had to find that traitor. He had to find out who it was and then... then he would show them that _no one_ betrayed him and his friends! No one!

Tsukune's hands balled to fists and Moka didn't need her supersensory radar to let her know that his youki was highly agitated. Nor her eyes to know that his entire body had been tensed like a coil ready to burst forth. Tsukune was pissed and there would be hell to pay. For some reason she couln't, or wouldn't, name, Moka didn't much mind the way he looked at the time, so focused and furious. In fact, it almost made him... yummy.

She had to cough to cover the chuckle that came from that thought. When he looked at her she only looked away as if uninterested, despite how much it hurt her to do so. If he thought he stood a chance with her... But he didn't; like she always said, people should know their places. She knew hers and so should he know his own. It was too bad that their places were not side by side.

Maybe he could give him over to that succubus or the yuki-onna? Their races never had much problems with humans and their life expectancy was only somewhat longer than a human's. Also, even she could tell that they genuinely cared for the troubled man. So, maybe she could give him over to them?

She should. She should but... why couldn't she bring herself to say it? Why couldn't she just tell these two to just grab him, drag him to a room and take him for themselves?

When the pair finally came back to Youkai Gakuen, Tsukune quickly excused himself and went to research who could know about Moka and him going to Mononoke Arcade. He had to find the truth even if it took him days!

He didn't notice the way Kurumu looked at him or how sadly Moka sighed.

But the girls had each other and that meant they could speak about all things girly, without any feelings of embarassement about having a boy with them.

It was a great chance for them to speak about what _really_ mattered and yet not one of them dared breach the subject. Not Moka by letting them know she was fine with them being with Tsukune. Not Kurumu by telling them of her insecurities and fears. Not Mizore by telling them of her wishes and hopes. Not Yukari by telling them of what she had learned about Tsukune, great secrets about him that could solve most problems they had.

At least their time together bound them tighter as a group and that was their saving grace of times to come. Or rather what would help them become the saving grace of another.

An another that was now, one week after the incident in Mononoke Arcade, being summoned by the Headmaster.

"Why have you summoned me Headmaster? I've given my reports, completed my chores, there is nothing else I'm supposed to do, is there?"

The robed man looked at the boy in front of him but no one could make out what lied behind these glowing eyes. **"No, there is one more thing you have to do. You have to relax. You have not been sleeping at all lately have you? Even your meditations have been slipping. You are becoming obsessed with uncovering that mole, so much that you hardly even see your friends before rushing off just in case any knew information shows up. How many times have you read each and every file of each and every student and faculty member? That is enough, you must relax lest you burn out."**

Tsukune bristled. "Are you saying I should let that traitor go? Are you telling me that I should sit idly by while someone is capable of telling my enemies what I'm doing and when we're at our most vulnerable?"

**"In short? Yes. In long, no. You have planted enough seeds Tsukune-kun. You must let your plans come into fruition first. Patience is the one great virtue of any one wanting to ferret out any moles. So this isn't a recommendation but an order; I'm ordering you to... go on vacation."** Waiting for the boy to recover from the face-fault, the Headmaster continued. **"Your friends are quite tired as well, they need some time off to witness the benefits their trials have given them. Also, I think you are finally ready to be tutored by Moka-san directly in the more esoteric vampire arts. But you have to show her. Take this vacation and relax a bit, you need to give things time. The Driver will be waiting for you and your friends tomorrow at the bus stop. Pack light and for summer, I hear the human world's beaches are wonderful this time of the year."**

And with that he was dismissed and left to grumble. Though he could use the vacation. Hopefully nothing bad would happen this year.

Hopefully.

**A/N: I'm back and writing from my bed, trying to get over my sickness. Apparently, whoever said that military doctors were good was an idiot. Why? Because we have dentists doing the job of pathologists, which is freaking retarded! I complained that I got dizziness and inability to listen properly from my ear. They told me it was from going up and down too much. 'Too much' being 20 freaking meters, when I've been climbing mountains since I was 13. I don't even take gum or any other crap when boarding planes! How could 20 meters of difference in altitude affect me? Turns out I got an infection in my ear that screws up my sense of balance. Now, what do I find out? It also gives me a dangerously high fever and also seems to gather stuff from my nose right next to my **_**eye**_**. Which hurts like hell. I got my first leave, five days, and I'm going to have to spend all of them **_**in bed**_**! I'm going to be ill for five days I should be instead enjoying with my friends and family. Hell, people are getting married and I can't even get out of bed to see them or wish them well. And it's not just me; a friend of mine also got seriously ill and no one even paid attention to his complaints until he almost **_**died**_**. He had to get sent over to intensive care in the middle of the night. Don't know about you, I'm sure as hell pursuing this. I'm getting that asshole court marshalled.**

**On to happier things. Finally, the chapter's over. Finally as in I finally managed to get my parents to leave me the fuck alone because they wanted to drag me to every single long-lost family member they could contact. I feel like they want to parade me or something. I'm no zoo exhibition dammit! These people don't even know I exist, why the hell should I care about them? But nooo, according to my parents, their one and only child has now become a soldier which automatically means they have to parade me to everyone, whether I like it or not. Admittedly, I wouldn't be so against it if it didn't cut down on my writing time. But it does and it's pissing me off!**

**No one will ever know just how close I came to showing them 'that other side' of me.  
**

* * *

**Today, on this 9/6/2012, I, Soulblazer87, do hereby leave this site, possibly forever.**

**I shall not update this, or any other story.**

**I shall leave them on, however. Should you desire to follow my stories, do so in my new site of residence: www dot yourfanfiction dot com.**


	18. Soundless Echo

_Soundless Echo_

"Yahoo-hoo! We're going on a trip!" Screamed Kurumu, excited and lively as ever. And this time, she wouldn't be skipping class; she'd be doing it legally! All the better for the exuberant teen.

Mizore was also quite happy about it. Sure, she wouldn't be able to stalk Tsukune, as much as she did anyway, but she'd get to be near him every moment of the day. That more than made up for it in her mind.

"We're going to the human world again Tsukune-san?" Asked Moka. She was rather nervous about it, but every time she went to the human world with Tsukune it bore none of the previous pain she had experienced there. With him, she was almost free, she was... she was _normal_ and that was very rare for the girl. Even her Inner was pleased about it, she could tell even if that personality held her silence on the matter.

Yukari on the other hand... was Yukari; she saw it as a cross between a great excursion-slash-party and a chance to investigate the human world, with a side of _fun_ thrown in for flavour. Not to mention hoping to meet another witch like she had done last year.

"Now take great care everyone!" Spoke up Ruby, who had been placed as leader of the group for their vacation. "We'll be going in the human world at a seaside resort, owned by a human. That means that we cannot _under any circumstances_ allow our true forms and nature to be revealed!" She looked very serious, a complete turn-around from her usual personality. Tsukune however could verify that there were cases when the masochistic witch could be very focused. "If that happens... not even the Headmaster will be able to help you. I'm not talking expulsion... you could be _executed_! The monster world _must_ remain a secret."

"All right sensei!" Piped up Kurumu, already hyped up for the journey. At least in the outside. For inside she felt much, much different.

It might have been Moka, the Inner side at that, getting a date with Tsukune. It might have been the way they seemed to 'fit' together when they returned, despite Moka being annoyed at her clothes being ruined and Tsukune being more than a bit angry at the apparent traitors.

Or it might have been the way her Destined One had fought an entire _race_ for her best friend. Or maybe it was the fact that Mizore stalked him much less since then; she instead revealed herself much more and seemed many times more confident around him.

No, it was all that and so much _more_. It was the way _he_ looked at them. The way he seemed to drop it all when they called him. The way he seemed to go into 'overprotective mode' every time anyone so much as looked the wrong way at them.

Kurumu let out a soft sigh, away from where anyone would see her. What was it that those two had and she didn't? What was it that made him turn into a door mat for those two? Why? Did she not love him as much as they? Did she not help him as much as they? Did she not show her love physically? So why, why on _earth_ did he pay them so much more attention than her?

She was more beautiful than they, she was more sensual than they, she was _kinder_ than they and she came with no strings attached; Inner Moka never seemed to accept him and Mizore just wanted his seed. She just loved him for _him_.

Only the _him_ she loved seemed to be getting farther and farther away from her.

It was not the same despair she had felt the year before, when she had attacked Moka. Nor was it the feeling of dark emptiness when Tsukune lashed out at her. It was harsher, in a way even more profound, mostly because of its more subtle nature; he wasn't denying her, he was ignoring her.

Still, she put on her favourite face and made her regular jokes while they got ready for their well-deserved vacation time. Maybe she could use that time to seduce him? Well, succubi are renowned for their relentless pursuit of their Destined Ones.

With that thought, she readied her suitcases, filled with various fashionable clothes for any case. And of course even more swimsuits; they were going at a sea resort after all.

The bus ride was short, but it cemented Kurumu's beliefs about her being ignored. At one point she was talking to Tsukune alone, one of the very rare opportunities to do so in fact, when Moka had called him over. He practically _teleported_ over to the vampire! He even helped Mizore load her suitcases but didn't turn to her until she dragged them in front of him.

What the succubus didn't know was that it wasn't Tsukune ignoring her; it was him loosing more and more of his sanity. Due to the troubles Mizore and Moka had been pushed through, in his mind that meant that the enemy, whoever that was, targeted them first and foremost. Therefore, to him, it made sense to keep these two under closer watch than anyone else. But it also was true that Kurumu wasn't left alone either; he always had stationed several trustworthy Student Police members to watch over her at all times.

In fact, one of his goals in this forced vacation was making up with the girl lest she got the wrong idea. That being that he didn't care for her. He also hoped to be able to make her back off of him and find someone worthier to pursue. Of course that also meant that he'd have to talk with her one-on-one, something _very_ rare in his group of people.

Even now, when they had just gotten on the school bus, just seconds after getting sufficiently creeped out by the Driver's cryptic prophecies, Mizore and Moka were fighting over him, again!

At least Kurumu played peacekeeper this time and interrupted them handily with a few well-placed words. She had a tongue on her and wasn't afraid to use it, figuratively or literally. In this case she just used a total of ten words to turn the two girls into blushing, stuttering messes that found how great the seats were in the exact other side of Tsukune.

However, not even Tsukune's thanks were enough to restore the succubus' good mood. Well, they _did_ help, considerably at that, but they were not enough. Simply put, she needed time. Time to herself, to think.

To find some damned reason to not just give Tsukune the Kiss and take him as hers anyway.

Not like she couldn't get a chance to deliver, after all they trusted her. She could just drag him off for a second and find some small excuse to get close to him. Then, one small kiss later and she would be in his heart, figuratively and literally. She would have it all!

She would win!

But... but then it _wouldn't_ be a victory. It wouldn't be a victory for love. And Kurumu, above it all, wanted love. Not forced lust or emotions, there were plenty of that, she would only have to show off her 'assets' to get hundreds of admirers.

No, she wanted _love_ and she couldn't, wouldn't, use her supernatural powers to get it. She would get it the true Succubus way; by showing her Destined One just how much he meant to her and how much she was worthy of him.

Unfortunately, that also meant she'd have to find a way to talk to him. Which was impossible.

She'd need a strategy, one of her hare-brained plans, to get her through. But for that, she'd need time and relaxation. That's why she suggested splitting up at a market street so they could just wander around on their own. She knew Tsukune would go with the others instead of her. So, she'd be all alone.

"So how about we split up when we get to the Market?" She asked.

The bow thought about it for a bit, but only for so long. "No way, it's too dangerous. Last time me and Moka-san were attacked. I'm not giving anyone a chance to hurt you."

\

"I don't know, maybe, but that time you were in Mononoke Arcade. This is the human world, they wouldn't dare do anything here. They can't be ready for a Human-Ayashi war yet." Said Ruby, affected slightly by a subtle illusion. "Otherwise the entire Academy would have already fallen, our choice to defend humans is well known, they'd have to take the school out first."

"Well, yeah, but still... I'm not sure..." He said, his overprotective attitude getting the best of him.

"Oh, come on, what's the worst that could happen, get oggled by some humans? Besides you could always go with Yukari-chan. With her Know-Know-kun charms you'd be able to know if something's wrong and you'll be able to keep her safe in case anything happened. No offence Yukari-chan, but you can't use your magic here and without it..."

"None taken." Yukari waved it off, well aware of her weakness without her magic, a bunch of lizardmen had proven it expertly just after she met Tsukune. "But aren't you a bit too eager to run off? Did fashion change or something?"

"As a matter of fact, yes, yes it did. And I want to go visit every fashion boutique there is!" Kurumu was a great actor able to mimic her fashion craze so convincingly that even the girls around her realized they wouldn't be able to keep up with her.

All of them but Mizore that is. The Snow Girl had been next to her for long enough to be able to see under the succubus' facade. However, she trusted her friend, a necessary part in their 'duets'. So, if Kurumu wanted some time alone, as much as she herself didn't like it, she would support her friend. "And I want to go buy manga... And visit ninja cosplay clubs..." Her calm voice belied the very real excitement at doing so; ninja lore was very hard to get and she _was_ a fanatic.

"Oh, and I want to try out ice-cream flavours!" Piped up Moka, slightly drooling. "We never had ice-cream back home!"

"Hmph, I'd rather see onee-sama, but ice-cream sounds good too..." Kokoa's voice kept up the pace.

Ruby made to speak, but Kurumu was quick to stop the masochistic witch from saying something that would ruin her plans on grounds of pure perversion. "Well we all want different things. So, how about we split up, go around, visit some shops and then come back here in, say a couple of hours?, to compare notes and stuff? It's going to be great!"

Tsukune still had his doubts about it. He didn't want to be separated from them at all if he could help it. If only he could split himself in parts like Mizore's clones or something... "Uh... I still don't like this... I mean, what if something happened?"

And then he was left to face alone the dreaded puppy eyes from a group of girls who had all but mastered the 'technique'/ Heck, even Ruby joined and somehow made it look cute, innocent and perverted all at the same time. "Pleaaaase?"

There was no fighting it, he knew. "A-alright... But! Don't wander off too much, don't go into shady places and be careful!"

He would have said more, had the girls not all reacted identically and said, in stereo, "Yes mom!", which of course embarassed the boy much to their combined amusement.

Her first plan to be a success, Kurumu quickly left the group to go to the pier. She had found a great place to spend a few hours alone and vent. It looked over the vast sea, small waves breaking on the rocks just below her feet, the salty smell of the sea heavy in her nose.

"Tsukune..." She whispered to the sea. "Why can't you love me? Am I not doing my best for you? I may not be smart like Moka, but I try, all for you. And I'm not the child of some bigshot of my entire race, but still, that doesn't make me any less important than Mizore. I try my best, I shower you with all the love I have in me, even let you touch me in the way no other person ever would..." Tears began to go down her cyrstal blue eyes. "So why, _why_, can't you love me? Why can't I reach you?"

She would have gone on, had not someone collided with her, knocking her off her perch.

"Ouch! Who're you?" She said looking at the perpetrator, quickly wiping her eyes clean. It was a small child with black hair and a one-piece yellow dress with red spots on it. She held a notebook in her arms.

_'Help me, I'm being chased'_ Words had been quickly scribbled on the paper.

"Huh? Chased? For what?"

Maybe she should have looked to see _who_ chased the girl. If she had, then the man behind her wouldn't have caught her by surprise.

Something hard hit the back of the girl's head and Kurumu's world went black. The last thing she saw was the girl's terrified face.

At the same time, several people reacted Moka and Kokoa felt Kurumu's youki leave them while Yukari's charms began vibrating.

Mizore on the other hand, she just knew things were wrong. After being so long near the succubus, she could detect her presence. Not where she was or her youki, but she could always tell if she was fine. The two girls had spent so long together they just _knew_ each other. "Kurumu... You baka..."

As soon as Tsukune was told about Kurumu's charm blackening, he picked up the witch he was with and immidiately ran off, pulling Ruby away from her tattoo stall. She had been looking to get a 'Property of Tsukune' tattoo on a... private part of her body.

The group quickly gathered in the plaza they split up from and it was as plain as day that Tsukune was more worried than any of them. He was almost hysteric.

"That's why I wanted us to stick together, dammit!" He raged. "Now they got her, those bastards. Damn it! Where is she? Ruby, Yukari, can you find her?"

The witches nodded from their spot. "We are on it Tsukune-san. There, we got her~desu." Said Yukari. "She's not far, this way!"

The short distance to where the girl was taken to seemed much longer in their friends' eyes.

Meanwhile, Kurumu found herself awakening with the mother of all headaches... and a black bag over her head.

"Oh, so you're awake eh, little girl?" Came a man's voice, old and heavy and she could even _taste_ the lust in his voice. She hated her good looks some times. "Good, good. Now, be a good, obedient little girl and we won't hurt you... much."

"W-Who the hell are you guys?" Said Kurumu, terrified. Who could they be, what did they want with her?

"Oh, just your friendly neighborhood gang. But that's really not important. What's important is your little friend here, you know the one you met on the pier? Little Sun-chan here has a secret for us but she just doesn't spill it. So, either you share it with us or she suffers."

"W-What secret? And I don't know that girl! First time I saw her, honest!"

"Don't lie to me little girl, Sun isn't the kind of person to ask for a stranger's help. No, she's too _nice_ for that. She'd only go to someone she trusts. Which means you know. So speak or she suffers."

At an unvoiced signal, Kurumu heard someone squirming and then struggling furiously, but only strangled cries of pain reached her ears. It seemed the girl was... mute.

"So you're not talking eh? Doesn't matter. Either of you will break. After all, if torturing your friend doesn't move you, how about we have some fun with you? She's all yours boys."

Years of being a succubus with all that entailed had taught Kurumu to quickly detect male lust. Usually, she was the one to incite it, as it was her goal. However, this time she felt no rush of accomplishment, she felt the cold grasp of fear as hands grabbed her small body. She felt disgust and terror and...

She began to cry as she struggled to break free. Free before she was-

Further thought was interrupted when something was torn to bits. A wooden something.

More precisely, the wooden door to the apartment as it was kicked well off its hinges by an absolutely livid Tsukune.

Well, not livid, not just yet; only furious. Which quickly reached 'livid' levels when he saw what they were doing to Kurumu.

One of the men charged him, before even his boss ordered him too. He couldn't help it; that boy had an aura so... so predatory that he knew, he just _knew_ he had to kill the brat, or he would kill them all!

The sword never reached Tsukune; his arm grabbed the other man's hand and held it still with a bone-crushing hold.

"You... Above even raising a hand at **me**." He said and the way he stressed himself made Inner Moka's eyes widen, she would recognize that tone, that pride anywhere. It was her own after all. "You have the **nerve** to lay a finger on her? **YOU DAMN RATS!"** He screamed at them and, though they couldn't see his youki, they could feel its powerful presence none-the-less.

Bones were crushed and marrow mingled with steel shards as Tsukune pulverized what was in his hand, turning hand and weapon grip into an unrecognizable mess. The man didn't even have time to scream in pain before a punch to his chest sent him careening into a wall and straight into unconsciousness.

He had felt his Inner Demon awaken thanks to the 'gap' in his mental armor caused by his fear. So, he did the only thing he could to quell his other side; he drew upon the vampiric power Moka had given him. In some part of his mind, he also knew it would serve as a way to prove to her he was worthy of her training. Only, the Headmaster had 'forgotten' to mention the feeling of insatiable pride that seemed to come from his vampiric blood.

Well, better to feel pride that overwhelming fury, right?

So he charged the _worms_ who had _dared_ lay a finger on Kurumu, his friend, his anchor to his sanity. He would show no mercy.

Guns were drawn, but Tsukune remained confident, and with good reason. In such a closed, limited space, with the leg strength his power afforded him, reaching the shooters was done much faster than their slow, human mind could react.

And those with swords, blades in this modern era, they attacked him too. Fools, did they not realize what they had angered with their _insolence_? Quick enough to dodge their slashes and return three times before they even finished their strike, it was a simple matter to slip past their defences and crush their feeble bones.

Then, only their leader remained, a pathetic, terrified little man.

Tsukune stalked towards the target of his ire, the one to order these fools to touch Kurumu, and therefore the one who was even more to blame. He could feel his bloodlust rising to the surface, bubbling with immense fury.

His hand grabbed the pudgy man by the throat and lifted him in the air as the other one took aim. Where to hit? The heart, quick and relatively painless? The kidneys, painful and slow? Beheading, done so fast to see his own headless body? Or maybe he could tear him limb from limb until he died of blood loss? So _hard_ to _decide_.

"Tsukune! Stop, please! Don't become like them!"

Kurumu's voice was like a shock to his system, like a bucket of freezing water on a white-hot flame.

'_I… what am I doing?'_

'Are you going to let that rat go then? Aren't you going to punish him? For attacking your precious friend, are you just going to let him go, even though you beat up his men? It was **he**_** who ordered her captured and raped. It is **_**he**_** who will order it again, and again! If you let him go, he will only do it again, against you and your friends even. And the only thing you're doing is… letting him go away? Unscathed?'**_

His Inner Demon's voice sounded very logical at that point. Filled with hate and malice, but it did speak the truth; this was a mafia boss. There was no way he'd let it slide. He'd gather more henchmen and attack again.

The mere thought of Kurumu, or any of his friends really, at the hands of that… cockroach… gave new meaning to the expression 'demonic rage'.

However, Kurumu herself had told him to stay his hand from murder.

Fine then, he'd find another way.

Hid right hand descended from its aim at the man's heart and lower to the side of his large, fat belly.

"I won't kill you." Then Tsukune's hand was rammed into his target's fat tissue and grabbed hard before tugging. "But I **will** leave this wound on your despicable carcass to remind you **never to harm another person!**"

With a mighty pull, accompanied by an inhuman scream of pain, Tsukune ripped out a part of the fat, though without harming any of his intestines.

Kurumu and the others looked horrified at the spectacle, but they could understand. It was surprising in fact that he didn't kill that bastard; even when Kurumu told him to stop, he still looked furious enough to go through with it regardless.

When he turned away from the defeated, writhing, form of the mob leader and turned to Kurumu, they knew he was still their Tsukune. There was no way a murderer could touch another person so lightly, as if she would break in his arms.

To the girl herself, it was a sign; she still stood a chance, she could see it in the fear in his eyes, in the worry in his movements, the way he held her tight as if she would break apart at any moment.

Kurono Kurumu smiled softly in his arms, more than a bit giddy at being there and even slightly smug at the envious look her best friend sent her.

She would have been content to stay there forever, but alas it was not to be; Ruby just had to select that moment to turn to the mysterious girl who had brought all that on her.

"Umm… who are _you_?"

At the girl's apologetic look, the entire group knew, they just _knew_ they were in for yet another adventure this summer.

The girl introduced herself as Otonashi Sun. They would have asked for more, as they exited the building, but someone beat them to it.

Their homeroom teacher, Nekonome Shizuka. "Oh, there you are! And you even found Sun-chan! You're supposed to stay at the inn she works in! It's because Sun-chan's an old graduate, she even thought Gin-kun here was cute!"

The group wondered where Gin was, until they realized he had blurred right next to the new girl and was already greeting her. "Hey there Sun-senpai. Long time, no see huh? How's life been for ya?"

Seeing the perverted werewolf actually _not_ perving in front of a girl made them wonder if that was really their club leader, but it was confirmed when Sun wrote _'Hello Gin-chan, it's been hard, but good too! You?'_

"Anyway," Nekonome kept up, unperturbed by the shocked looks Gin was receiving at actually acting civil for once. "Sun-chan is everyone's senpai, you'll be living with her. Don't worry about her not speaking, she's just so shy you see!"

Sun gave her reply in written form. _'My full name is actually Otonashi Sun. I'll show you the way to the hostel, follow me, it's close by.'_

And so the group were off, mostly discussing amongst themselves about how young Sun looked. All but Tsukune that is. His mind was preoccupied with something else.

Sun was their senpai, in a way she was a look to their future. Those graduating from Youkai Gakuen were apparently set to get a job in the human world. Which was quite amazing, considering the fact that even humans had a hard time finding a job and yet Ayashi were able to support themselves rather well.

Which begged the question... what was _he_ going to do? After his time in Youkai Gakuen was over, what was going to happen? Would Moka-san and Kurumu-chan and Mizore-chan and Yukari-chan and Ruby-san leave? Would he be alone to face his demons? What would he do even? He couldn't wander around like a vagrant in the vain hope of not hurting someone. But also, where could he get a job? He held no illusions; the stronger he became the greater the vibe of 'wrong' he emitter. Well, 'wrong' by human standards anyway, because monsters just realized he was strong. But even a normal human would be able to tell he wasn't normal soon, they would get their hackles raised or just a bad feeling about him.

So working as a human would be out; it was hard enough to get a job as a normal human, much less someone who called up every hostile or defencive instinct of those around him just by being there.

Work as an Ayashi? But he knew almost _nothing_ about the Ayashi world or how it functioned. The Headmaster _could_ support him, but Tsukune had began experiencing 'pride' and that meant he wasn't going to become indentured to someone, even if it was their fault that he fell into this situation.

Away from Tsukune's worries of the future, the group quickly reached the hostel, despite walking their way to it.

The greeting wasn't what they expected. "Sun? What the heck you doin' back 'ere, huh?" Spoke a rather angry man, apparently in charge of something or other. "You gone for 4 freakin' days without even a note and now yer back?"

Sun looked terrified and quickly scribbled an apology on her notebook, asking for permission to work there again.

Only Mizore was able to notice the small startle the man had given when he first saw her or the way he looked around, almost as if he were... afraid? She didn't interrupt him though when he said she had been fired already and that she should leave because they had huge problems due to being short of staff.

Even when Nekonome jumped in and said that it was a yakuza group's fault she had been abducted, the man turned around saying he didn't care. This time however, Kokoa also noticed he became very troubled when he heard that Tsukune had defeated the group.

That didn't sit well with Gin. The werewolf, still in human form thankfully, walked up to the guy a rather angry look in his eye. And if one also took Gin's height into account then he was already more than half a head taller than the angry manager guy. "Hey you, that's no way to treat a lady." Then, shifting his body subtly to show every single bit of agression he had in him, he continued. "Why don't you delay her firing a big huh?"

"What the hell are ya-"

"He's right, aren't you a bit too harsh to fire her? You should at least consider the reason!" Kurumu was quick to defend the girl.

But it didn't mount up to the way Tsukune moved up to him and simply stared at the man, an unvoiced threat in his eyes _'Treat her better or else'_. He had known what prejudice could do to someone, experienced it at Kuyou's hands, knew he would experience it if his Akuchi and Ghoul abilities became public knowledge.

"O-oi! W-w-what are Sun's friends doin' here all o' a sudden? D-does't matter, you're not scarin' me! I said she's fired so she's fired!"

Gin was just about ready to... suggest... the man re-iterate when a female voice stopped the unavoidable brawl. "Oi, Takahashi, I never gave you the privilege to fire employees, that stops with me alone."

She was a beautiful woman, but her appearence was marred by two things. First was the bottle of alcohol in her hand and her inebriated demeanor. The second was the mourning, almost dead look on her face, as if there were really few things that mattered for her. She was Kawamoto Marin, the owner of the hostel.

"Ah, owner, didn't see ya there. Sun just came back and I was tellin' her she was fired 'cause she didn't even leave a damn note and-"

"Takahashi. If Sun left, wouldn't it be even more bothersome? Besides, I am the owner, if I say she stays, then she stays."

Angered the man just scoffed before storming off, probably to harass another employee to vent his anger if Tsukune had to guess. Yes, it was safe to say that he didn't have much faith in humanity anymore, or anyone really besides his friends.

But Marin turned back to Sun and rubbed the top of her head. "Glad you came back Sun, I was really worried about you."

The girl's closeness to her employer was quite obvious in the way she looked at her, almost tearfull from happiness.

"But besides that, you're the group from Youkai Gakuen right, from Sun's old school. I'm kinda surprised to see you here, but you're welcome. It may be a bit run down, but it's still a fine hostel."

Elsewhere, Takahashi was dialing almost hysteric with fear. He didn't get it,why was Sun there? "Oh, hello Takahashi-kun, did you by any chance meet a girl named Sun there?" Came the cold voice of... well, someone he didn't know anyway.

"What, who the hell are you? Where's the boss?"

"Hmm, him? He's a bit... indisposed. Now, I asked you a question. Is Sun over there?"

"W-well, yeah..." Takahashi stuttered; he was just a coward looking for an easy way to pay his gambling debts! That guy sounded really nasty!

"Good, then here's what you'll do; you're gonna burn the place down!"

"W-whaaat?"

"Burn it, burn it to the ground. Sun believes it's her home. So, burn it so she has nowhere to run. Simple right?"

"B-but... I was just supposed to do this one job to get me the money for my gamblin' debts, I'm not supposed to burn nothin'!"

"Let me put it into context then, Takahashi_-kun_." Said the voice. "If you don't do as I say, you'll end up like your boss. Here, talk to him."

Then the screaming began and Takahashi had no special desire to find out why his boss was screaming like someone was ripping him to pieces.

So, the next day, while Tsukune and the girls were looking around the hostel, finding it to be great despite not having the best of success in the business, Takahashi was looking around for a way to burn it.

Instead he found something else; the owner's life savings, hidden inside a drawer for a 'hard time'. Greed got the best of him and he smiled wickedly as he pocketed it and ran off, believing that 'since he weren't there, the order to burn it could be ignored'.

Understandably it came as a huge surprise the next day when the police came to investigate the theft. Everyone tried to think about who could have gotten the money, but the major suspect was Takahashi; he was the only one not there and curiously absent for no reason at all.

As It was then that the group heard a conversation that worried them deeply.

"I'm so sorry Sun, but it seems I'll have to shut down the Snack Bar... I don't have any money left and I was getting behind on my payments already... I won't be able to do anything..."

It would have been much less sad had the group not already been told that the former student was looking at Marin as if she were her mother.

So it was with little surprise that they decided to help both women fix their lives. The problem was _how_ to do it.

"We have to help Sun-san. I mean, she's been through a lot, we can't let her loose her adopted mother, or her home." Said Kurumu, licking her ice-cream, compliments of her best friend.

"You're right~desu, but how do we do it?" Asked Yukari, straining to find a magic spell that created money, but having very little success.

"Well, if it was a fight, me and onee-sama would be more than enough to handle it, but I don't think I have any talent in this..."

"Talents... that's it!" Said Moka, getting a surprised reaction. "Kokoa-chan, you're a genius! We'll use our own talents and skills to help Marin-san and Sun-san! I mean Kurumu-chan makes great cookies and sweets, I'm sure they'd sell great! And who knows ice-cream and sherberts better than Mizore-chan? Me, Kokoa-chan, Yukari-chan and Ruby-chan could advertise."

"While I sit idly by?" Snarked Tsukune, giving her a playful glare. "I think not. I may be able to help manage Marin-san's debts a bit, I've been doing it for a few months now in the Academy. If I can manage _that_ chaos, I'm sure I can do something about the snack-bar." Amusingly enough, it was true; in a monster school, everyone had their own wants, needs and desires. And poor Tsukune had to make it work for _everyone_. If he could manage having opposing races co-exist with each other, then managing a small-time business like the snack-bar would be easy, right?

So, everyone went to change to their swimsuits, seeing as how the entire place was burning up, despite Mizore's best work at keeping the temperature at a comfortable level. After all, the Yuki-onna could only try lowering the temperature a couple of degrees to make it seem as if it were a cool sea-side wind, she couldn't freeze the entire place.

"Gee, when you said 'use our talents', I didn't think you meant seduction Moka. I have to admit though, you _do_ have taste. Doesn't mean Tsukune is going to prefer your swimsuit over mine; I also have the assets to support mine." Mocked Kurumu, proudly displaying said assets, barely contained in her lacy swimsuit.

"K-Kurumu-chan! I-i-it's not my fault this one was the only one my size!" Moka tried to disagree, though her blush said a whole other story. She had preferred a more classical version, but it certainly did focus attention to her own assets as well, namely her face and leather chocker, seeing as both chocker and swimsuit were made of similar-looking material.

"At least neither of us is as bad as Ruby..." Mizore's voice came from behind them, the yuki-onna sporting a striped swimsuit. She couldn't help it; stripes were her thing. Well, that's because she couldn't find a 'ninja' swimsuit but that's just her obsession talking, really.

"Because that... _thing_... isn't a swimsuit!" Cried out Kokoa, blushing beet-red along with her partner-in-crime, Yukari. "Yeah~desu, that's just a bunch of strings~desu!"

"Aww, but it's really nice!" Ruby tried to worm her way out of the attention she was receiving, though she had been the one to incite it in the first place!

"Eh, what's all the shouting for?" Tsukune's voice came as he exited the changing rooms. "Are you having a ... fight... again?" His words came to an abrupt stop as he took notice of the beauties in front of him, except the two youngest of the group, though he knew that in time they too would have looks to be envied.

But that is not to say the girls went on with their playful fighting either. Noticing the object of their affection, except in Kokoa's case of course, they turned to look at him... and promptly began having _other_ thoughts about him. Despite him wearing a simple black swimsuit that however 'forced' them to pay attention to the rest of his body. Namely his built physique, the scars he had gained from fighting for them and the light sheen of sweat he had acquired from being holed up in the tiny room.

A trickle of sweat made its way from his forehead, down his cheek, his neck then to his chest and down his abs until vanishing at the black cloth's line. Without knowing, the girls all made one thought _ 'Yum-my!'_

Poor Tsukune could only try to control his awakened hormones, something that the _hungry_ look in a certain group of females didn't help at all.

It is safe to say that the group avoided touching each other as much as possible once they regained the ability to move. For Kurumu, it wouldn't do good for her reputation to jump her Destined One in public while Mizore certainly didn't want this annoying heat to hinder her... performance. Moka was too embarassed to allow herself to even touch him while Ruby... well, she was a certified exhibitionist but still it just didn't seem right. Not _yet_ anyway, because there was no way she was giving up on him.

So the group split up and each went to their respective positions; Mizore went to make ice-creams and sherberts and all kinds of frozen delights, leaving Kurumu to practically raid the kitchen, kick the cooks out and unleash every recipe in her head in pursuit of the greatest food selection she had ever made, sans her world-renowned cookies that is. That left Tsukune to try and convince Marin to give him her accounting books and sit with him to find a way to reduce costs and increase gains. The poor woman, ever since her husband had died, she had climbed her way into alcohol and had let the place go to waste.

Unfortunately for Moka and her 'colleagues' in gathering customers, her looks were too great for them and they repeatedly tried to hit on her, not just her but even Kokoa and Yukari. Apparently, being a lolicon was 'in' that year. Too bad for them because, once Tsukune took a break from all the books he was working on and saw what was going on...

Well, let's just say that all kinds of customers were invited, all kinds but perverts that is. Which was amusing since Tsukune himself gathered more than his share of admirers, this time of the female persuasion, who wasted no time in hitting on him. Thankfully, he was able to 'escape their clutches', as Kurumu said, without aggravating the girls to the point of glares or, god forbid, conflict.

Seeing her Snack-Bar Marin so active after so long almost made the owner cry, but Sun's gentle touch reminded her that she simply didn't have the time for it; she had to get to work because, unbelievably enough, they were understaffed!

Several hours later, the group had finally finished its job. Even Gin and Nekonome-sensei decided to drop by at some point to help out. Gin definitely loved serving, and flirting, with various beautiful, bikini-clad girls, while Nekonome proved unexpectedly good at cooking. Maybe a trait thanks to her increased senses?

Either way, while the Newspaper Club relaxed with their senpai and Marin, Gin and Nekonome had left to pay the bills Marin had managed to save the money for.

Which meant that without the perv-wolf to 'hound' them, the girls could finally relax and once again try to seduce poor Tsukune. Or deny they thought of him like that in Moka's case. At least Kokoa was honest in claiming she didn't like him like that; her onee-sama had already staked him as hers, even if she didn't realize it yet.

"Yahoo! Can't believe we sold out today! It was great!" Kurumu cried out happily.

"Yeah... who could have imagined we'd use up all the food in all neighboring supermarkets and in just a few hours at that." A monotone voice, yet it too amused, replied.

"That's because we called customers over in our swimsuits and gave them such great food but..." Moka paused before showing her frustration. "shouldn't we change back now that the shop is closed?"

The reason of her frustration wasn't the clothes themselves, as much as it was the way Kurumu, Mizore and Yukari hang on poor Tsukune, trying to make him say who's swimsuit was the best. Which, in their usual fashion, involved several parts of the poor boy being placed in certain other parts of two ladies (and a child), making him _really_ uncomfortable. It was all that he could do to limit his body's reactions to the soft flesh that was rubbing on his skin. At least Yukari wasn't shouting one of her usual perversions. She limited herself to just hanging off his waist and claiming that it was her the 'dark horse' that had won Tsukune's eyes.

Neither Moka nor Tsukune could ever quite grasp how their friends could make _everything_ sound sexually suggestive. It had to be the succubus, it _had_ to be. And so the sole male of the group tried to calm their temper by pointing out the advantages of their swimsuits, going from Moka to Kurumu to Mizore to Yukari to Kokoa to Rub... Well, not Ruby, making the eldest witch wonder why she was ignored, though the truth was that he just didn't want to say anything about strings. It might encourage her and _that_ his poor control would probably be unable to take.

Marin's voice interrupted the group's now playful fight. "Hahaha, thank you so much for today everyone, thanks to you we had lots of customers." Sun, standing next to the owner also held up her own notebook saying _'Thank You'_. "We made enough money to be able to go without closing for a little while longer."

"Come on, don't say that Marin-san!" Piped up Kurumu. "If you have trouble again, call us and we'll be right there!"

"True, besides, if you manage your finances the way I showed you, you will increase profits by about 25% and reduce costs by about another 15%. That's a great improvement, trust me."

"Y-yeah... I have to try right, for Sun and my dead husband..." While it was mostly directed to herself, Marin's comment was heard by all of them, causing them to think about how lonely and sad she must have been since he had passed away four years ago. Then the door bell rang and she ran off to see who it was.

On the inside however, she was remembering that day, the day he died. Just a few days after purchasing the snack-bar and their promise of making it the best in the world. A stranger came deep into the night and they took him in, despite how late it was he had seemed as quite the nice fellow. But then, while she was cooking, Marin heard a weird sound, almost like... singing? Following the sound, wondering about what it could be, she arrived at a macabre scene.

Her husband, layed down on the floor in a pool of blood, a _being_ crouched over him, blood dripping from its mouth, feathered wings on its shoulders and bird-like feet, but otherwise looking like that man who had come that same night.

She was pulled out of her daydream once she reached the door and opened it. Revealing _that exact same man_.

"Y-You! F-f-from that time!"

"Excuse me, but is there a girl named Sun here? We're from Fairy Tale."

And many they _were_, as several large men, wearing suits, walked in.

Marin had only time to cry out in pain before she was knocked out.

But even that small voice was enough to alert Tsukune, made more alerting due to the fact that he felt several youki signatures approach, none of which he could recognize.

Alas it was not enough to prepare them for what came.

"Marin-san!" Tsukune's voice betrayed his trepidation. He knew his enemies were youkai, he knew everyone there was a youkai, everyone but the woman now held prisoner byt the apparent leader of the attackers, a man with extremely handsome features, including extremely long hair. The newcomer looked too much in contact with his feminine side, but Tsukune knew not to write him off just on that; his youki was potent and for him to lead so many underlings... "Who are you? Release her immidiately!"

"Hm. I think not. You see, we know an Otonashi Sun considers this woman precious to her. Therefore, you see, we would like her to turn herself to us. Otherwise, this little stupid human will die a most horrible death." The way he looked at them, filled with arrogance, pissed them all. However they knew they couldn't do anything.

Sun stepped forward, a hard, yet scared, look on her face. On her hands, her sketchbook; _'I'll come quietly, so please don't hurt Marin-san'_

"Haha" Laughed the leader. "Very well then. I, Kamiya 'God' Kanae, welcome you to Fairy Tale. It is good to know we will be having another talented member in our ranks."

Fairy Tale. That name caused the Newspaper Club to tense and Tsukune especially to snarl at the group. So that was 'Fairy Tale'. More of these enemies of his, more of those who had hurt his friends.

Tsukune's mind flashed back to the Yuki-onna village and Kahlua's hand ripping into Mizore. Back to Ishigami and the mess she created, almost killing his cousin. Back to Kurumu almost getting raped, had he not arrived in the last moment.

Youki, dark and malicious, bearing something of an unpenetrable darkness, erupted around Tsukune. It coiled around him, a black and red aura. **"Fairy Tale..."** He growled at them, his voice heavy with power and raw _hate_. Even Marin, unable to perceive youki could feel something different, something alien, something malicious inside the boy. "I will **destroy** you."

Kamiya however smirked haughtily. "No you won't. You will sit back or else this little human is going to die before you take another step."

The enraged vampire made to move regardless, but Sun stopped him. _'Please, stop. I will go with them. Protect Marin-san.'_

He could sense it, her fear. But he could also see her courage, giving herself up for another. It was enough to quell his wrath, if for a moment.

Sun walked slowly towards Marin, ignoring the woman's requests to stay back, her friends' calls to come back to them. She had to do it. She had to protect Marin-san, the woman she had considered as a mother. There was no other way unless she revealed what she was. But she couldn't, she couldn't show her true self, not to Marin, not to the woman who had taken her in even though she had lost so much.

Once she was a few steps from Kamiya, she stopped, waiting for him to release his prisoner. With a huff of disgust, the minions let their prisoner go.

Marin tried to go to Sun, but the girl shook her head. She knew what would happen if it happened; Fairy Tale would get serious and kill them all. She was confident she would survive, but she wasn't alone. Tsukune was strong and so was Kokoa, even Kurumu and Mizore would be strong. But their enemies, could they survive them? Could she watch over everyone? She couldn't. So she had to abide by the intruder's demands and hope for the others to save her.

Once she was close however, the unthinkable happened. One of Kamiya's men puffed a weird smoke at her and, surprised as she was, she breathed it in. Unconsciousness came almost instantly.

Kamiya smirked at the stunned group of teenagers. "Well, this concludes our meeting. I'll take care of little Sun-chan here." He mocked as he lifted her and placed her on his shoulders. "The rest of you, kill everyone here and burn the place. It's too unsightly."

With a mighty flap from his feathered wings Kamiya left, letting his men transform into their true forms under a rain of sharp, yet beautiful feathers.

A Kraken lashed out with its arms at Tsukune, expecting him to die quickly. He was quickly proven wrong when the boy grabbed the tentacles and pulled hard, lifting the poor monster in the air and towards him, where a powerful fist awaited. The subsequent impact was so great that the monster's body was tossed back with enough force to destroy its own limbs.

"Kamiya, you traitor!" Shouted Tsukune. It seemed that Fairy Tale held nothing sacred, not even their word or honor. These bastards were just cold-blooded murderers who reveled in death and destruction.

That they were 'monsters' the same as people like Kurumu, Moka or Mizore made his blood _boil_ with rage. Such monstrocities should not be allowed to exist; it was because of them that his ayashi were not accepted in human society, that he himself was ostracized from his own parents.

But his enemies would not give him that time to think, they all charged him en masse, probably believing that their numbers would grant them an advantage to outdo his own tremendous strength.

It would have worked had Moka not been struck by a stray blow by a merman, a stream of highly pressurized water.

Normally, Mizore would have taken care of it, but she had been preoccupied with the Kraken Tsukune had punched; it bore too many similarities to Kotsubo-sensei, the man who... the man she had thought she loved.

"Kyaaah!" Moka cried out in pain, electrical currents dancing on her skin.

Tsukune was over her in an instant, disregarding the charging enemies, who still tried to attack him, despite the fact they hadn't even seen him move away from them.

Rage took hold on Tsukune's heart. How dare they? How dare they strike down his friend? How dare they make him fail his duty of protecting her?

He growled and snarled, his eyes demonic and burning with the power he contained within.

On the sidelines, forgotten for favour of the ecstasy of combat, Marin looked weakly at the newcomers.

Kurumu had grown wings, a tail and large, sharp talons. Mizore had grown claws of ice and was freezing everything solid. Ruby and Yukari were conjuring various items with which to fight. Even Kokoa's little, cute even, bat had turned into a weapon and she almost laughed as she moved across the battlefield towards her sister, to defend her.

But most breath-taking was Tsukune, but not in a good way. He stole her breath as something seemed to seep out of him, a presence that called to her long-since burried instincts of self-preservation and told her to run and hide while at the same time freezing her in place.

Tsukune's youki, both sides of it, demonic and vampiric, seemed to erupt around him in a double helix. He grunted in pain, feeling his internal organs tear at themselves from the strain of doing two things at the same time, but he pushed on. Restraining himself from taking his demonic form was not easy, but he managed it because, he knew, if he let go, there was a good chance he could hurt Moka, so close to him.

His power surging outwards, the battle seemed to stop for a second in awe at the sheer potency of youki released. Then it started again, but this time the Newspaper club held an advantage; Tsukune's true power seemed to invigorate the group and spur them to great heights of combat prowess. Or it might have been their rage at seeing their dear friend wounded.

The floor cracked beneath his feet as Tsukune let himself go with his rage, revelling in the feeling of impending doom. They had hurt Moka-san, his friend. They would pay. With their _lives_.

It became a massacre.

Tsukune fought like a demon possessed, something not that far from the truth. He fought with terrifying efficiency His hands, like claws burrowed deep into the flesh of his enemies, tossing them away torn asunder, but with enough force to damage whatever they collided with; usually other enemies that were behind them. His fists shattered bones and pulverized the soft tissue impacted, his otherworldly strength destroying all that came into contact with him.

On the other side, the Black and White Duet were dancing around their enemies, a never-ending maelstrom of pain. During their training with Moka, Kurumu had learned to use minor illusions while fighting in close quarters, something that she regularly used to distract her enemies or make them miscalculate. In the same manner, Mizore had learned to change the nature of whatever weapon she conjured in an instant, it seemed more like she held a weapon of fluid quicksilver, not one thing or the other, shortening, flexing or toughening as was needed.

Across them, Kokoa fought with Kou-chan. He had taken the form of a slightly curved, single-edged very flexible blade, a Jian, or 'philosopher's sword'. Using her newfound speed, smaller stature and a flexibility she never knew she had before her 'master' took her in as his disciple, she flowed around enemies like water, sticking to the safest place in combat; the place where an enemy's attack has just passed through. Also, while her Jian forced her to fight with grace rather than strength, she was still a vampire and that meant that a slice towards the concrete floor caused chunks to burst up and blind or distract her enemies. Admittedly, the only enemy that posed a threat to her were the mermen and their 'water gun' attacks.

Which became quickly moot as Ruby and Yukari cooperated and intercepted their attacks. After Moka had been hit they realized that these attacks could get through to them and they could deal quite a bit of damage. So, using Tarot cards and raven puppets, the two witches deflected the water streams into harmless moisture. Not that they stayed in defencive all the time of course; while the one shielded, the other took the opportunity to strike with pin-point accuracy. Witches might have less youki than other monsters, but they more than made up for it with their control and prodigal youjutsu abilities; a little bit of power, properly focused and honed can get you a _long_ way.

And so, one by one, the Fairy Tale members fell to the Newspaper Club. Until, the few remaining of them realized they could not win. Despite having wounded the Akuchi, he healed in seconds. Despite tiring out the Succubus and Yuki-onna, they were still going strong, having trained with Moka to increase their stamina. Despite having scratched the young vampire, she only grinned and fought harder. Despite having taken out one of the group, the pink-haired girl they shot with water, they knew that she wasn't a weak link to the group. So they ran. Or tried to. Because Gin had returned with Nekonome-sensei from their errands and, upon finding out that the retreating men were members of Fairy Tale, he beat them down as fast as only a werewolf can manage.

"Sun-senpai! Where's Sun-senpai?" Cried out Gin as soon as he was done beating the living daylights out of the Ayashi.

As soon as he noticed Tsukune's face, he knew something was wrong. "Sun-senpai... she... she went with them. They got Marin-san and would have killed her if she hadn't. In the end, they decided to kill us all anyway."

"What? You idiots! Why did you let them take her?" The werewolf was furious, but calmed down as soon as he saw the apologetic looks on his friends' faces. They had had little choice; if Marin had been threatened, the naive girl would have done anything to protect her. "Anyway, we gotta go to them! Immidiately! Their leader has the ability to brainwash others' minds."

"Of course we shou- wait, how do you know _that_?" Asked Tsukune, receiving a grin as a reply.

"Gee, Tsukune, who do you take me for? I'm a werewolf for cryin' out loud. I got done with my errands an hour ago, so I decided to send Fairy Tale a warning. Seems I was too late. At least I got this MP3 and Marin's stolen money. But that's not important! We have to get to Sun-senpai! Just lemme call someone, he's gonna help us fight'em off."

Tsukune nodded and turned to the downed form of Moka. He pulled her on his lap gently and carefully examined her. He sighed in relief; it was only her youki that was gone thanks to the water. That and coupled with the shock of the blow had knocked her off her feet and dazed her. It was easy for him to reposition her so she could bite his neck and drink his youki-rich blood to restore her.

Meanwhile, the sole pure human of the group watched in fear. What were those people, she wondered. Why had Sun brought monsters to her eatery? Why did they refer to her as one of their own? There was no way Sun was a monster too, right?

Kurumu, being the most empathic of the group, a side effect from her being a succubus, approached the woman. "Hey, are you alright? They didn't hurt you, did they?"

Marin couldn't help it. Her fear took the best of her. "What do you care about me anyway? You're gonna kill me too right?"

Kurumu almost giggled at the deja-vu moment, remembering Tsukune's cousin. The thought of telling him that she had forgiven him crossed her mind, but at the moment she had more important things to worry about. "Kill you? Goodness, no!" She laughed calmingly. "Actually, out of all of us, only Moka and Kokoa-chan need anything from humans and Tsukune is more than enough to provide for them. There, look." She pointed at the form of the two girls. Or to be more specific at Tsukune leaning over Moka.

He had been worried for her, he had been infuriated she had been hurt. But now he had to do something to help her. Water sapped her youki and hurt her by electrocuting her. So, like always, he offered her his blood.

Naturally, the pink-haired girl was only too happy to take him up on his offer. Her silver-haired self however wasn't so keen on it. Whether that was because of the effect his blood had on her, the fact she experienced it second-hand or her attempt to distance herself from him wasn't exactly clear to even her.

Outer Moka's thoughts however were of a far... simpler nature; _'So... so good!'_ she almost moaned as the taste hit her tongue and the warm liquid trickled down her throat like liquid power. _'Dark Gods, it gets better and better every time! More! I want more!'_

In the end, Inner Moka had to actually stop her outer shell from gorging on the offered blood.

"See?" Said Kurumu. "Other than Moka, none of us need need to hurt humans. And she just needs a bit of blood really. She only gorges on Tsukune, but he's... special."

"But! But what does Sun-chan have to do with this? How can she be a monster like you? Why? Why does it all have to happen to me?"

Tsukune however heard her. After disengaging from Moka, he turned to the distressed woman. "To tell you the truth, we have no idea what they want from her. But Sun-senpai seems like a nice person. She doesn't deserve to get hurt by these scumbags. Bastards like Fairy Tale want to drown the world in a war between humans and Ayashi. We want the opposite; we want both kinds to be equally accepted." He sighed before kneeling next to her. "To tell you the truth Marin-san, I was once human too, like you. I only recently became an ayashi, that's what we call ourselves instead of monsters by the way. It's not all that different. Just remember one thing; there are monsters kinder than any human, like Sun-senpai, but there's also humans more demonic than any monster."

Only his friends realized who he truly meant with that last remark, but they held their silence, despite how much it hurt them that he still considered himself a demon. It did however make them even more determined to change his beliefs and help him see that he really was the same Tsukune they had come to care for, or even love.

"But... But I... I don't get it! My husband was killed by monsters and now you want to tell me not all of you are evil?"

"Are all humans kind and caring? No, there are always some who just do the wrong thing." Said Kurumu. "Same thing with us; there's only a few monsters who need to hurt humans for a living. I mean, Moka is a freaking vampire and, well, you've seen how she is." Kurumu laughed at Moka's indignant glare. "If a vampire is nice, then what does that say for others? I'm a succubus by the way and Mizore is a yuki-onna. We don't need to hurt humans, nor do we want to."

Before the distraught woman could form a reply, Tsukune had gotten up. "Any way, we can't just stand here! We need to find Sun-senpai and rescue her. Fairy Tale is ruthless, who knows what they are going to do to her? Any ideas?" He asked the Newspaper Club, but they all shrugged. All but Yukari anyway.

"I was wondering when you'd ask~desu!" She grinned holding up a small compass with an indentation over the pointer. "Magical Item: Resonance Compass! Made it the other week, just finished it~desu! Seeing as how much trouble we have locating each other, I made it to help us find anyone if we only have a bit of resonance with them. Anything will do, my Know-know-kun's charms work the best but even something they held dear for a long time or a hair would do as well."

"Knowing where she is ain't enough dumbass!" Gin's voice came from the building, apparently the werewolf had finished contacting his friend. "There's a whole branch of'em here! Rushin' in will just get ya beaten! We need a plan."

Kokoa wanted to scoff at the werewolf, she hated perverts with a passion, but she knew that as strong as she were, a bunch of mermen could take even her down. And who knew what other water-based Ayashi could lie in waiting? "Ugh, I hate to admit it, but the perv-wolf is right. We need a plan. We could split into groups. Kurumu and Mizore are naturally together, they've trained for that. I could be with them; Mizore could stop water from hurting me easily. Gin, I believe your friend is a strong fighter, right?" Gin smirked wolfishly at her. She had no idea. But she trusted him. "Then you two will go and save Sun-senpai. I hate to admit it, but onee-sama would be best with Tsukune, they should be able to take down the group's leader, whatever the hell he may be."

Truth is, Kokoa wanted to be with her onee-sama, she loved her dearly after all. But, the truth was that the mission came first, there would be time for fun later. Because if Gin was correct, then Sun was in grave danger. Still, she knew they had some time. Fairy Tale had repeatedly tried to get Sun through various means, but if their leader could brainwash others, why hadn't he done so already? Maybe he had to wait for a special time, or more likely, brainwashing limited the victim's abilities. And they were targetting the girl exactly for that, it wouldn't make sense to go into all this trouble just to destroy exactly what they came for.

Yukari was kind of hurt though that she didn't get a job to do, but she realized that just by pointing them at the right direction, she had already done a lot. Besides, if her hunch was right, and it usually was, Fairy Tale's Headquarters would be placed in a human-heavy area, so as to prevent other monsters from taking them down. Which, of course, was a great problem for the group, since they couldn't attack either for fear of being expelled or worse. "But what about the humans~desu? We could hurt them or, worse, reveal ourselves! We can't let that happen!"

Marin didn't say it, but she was terrified they'd kill her for learning of the Ayashi's existence.

Thankfully, Ruby came with a solution. "Me and Yukari-chan could create a barrier to prevent them from perceiving the place! The Headmaster has had me learning quite a bit on barrier techniques, I have one that could help. However, while the cost in youki is not great, it is very taxing on the mind, Yukari-chan, you could help me maintain it. It would also be great practice for advanced spells for you!"

As the group discussed its strategies, Marin found herself wanting to go with the, but she was still so afraid of doing so. When they got ready to change and leave, she finally mustered the courage to ask them. "What about me? Aren't you going to kill me for learning about you?"

Tsukune gave her a look she couldn't identify. "Of course not. Why would we do that? Besides, you're one of Sun-senpai's most precious people. Don't worry, we're going to bring her back safe and sound."

It wasn't just what the boy had said. It was how he had said it. The way he walked, the way he seemed to shoulder a great burden and yet still go on. It was the way he seemed to know what she was going through, like he had gone through several other similar cases. Then she recalled something he said; he was once human. His eyes betrayed how much he lied about it being 'not being all that different' as when he was a human, but they only spoke the truth when he defended his friends and decided to protect Sun.

So, how could she let them leave? How could she let them risk everything to save Sun? She took in a deep breath to assure herself of her choice and got up. "In that case, I'm coming with you. Sun-chan is my responsibility. Ayashi or not, I'm not going to sit idly by while you protect her. Even if I'm there just to watch, that's what I'll do." She hadn't even realized she hadn't said 'monster' but 'Ayashi'.

Further talk was interrupted when someone burst through the door. As in literally tore it to pieces coming through. The teen, as tall as Gin and even more muscled wore a white karate-gi with a black belt. He had white hair and black eyebrows. Miyamoto Haji; Karate Club Leader... and lolicon pervert.

Which was something that Kokoa was quick to point out and proceed to try and smash Kou-chan on him, only for the male to dodge in effortless if comedically exaggerated ways. In the end, Tsukune had to interfere and make sure everyone got ready to raid Fairy Tale.

Inside her seal, Inner Moka was worried, but not for the reasons everyone suspected. Well, not _just_ for the reasons people would suspect. Lately her seal had become... different. Not in a bad way, or even one readily apparent. But she could come out much easier than before, even manifesting an illusion of herself that only Outer could perceive. What concerned her was that the more she awoke, the more Outer seemed to sleep. Or well, act less energetically than she used to. And this 'excursion' would be the longest time without that seal on her, except when she used Belmont. What if removing the seal strained it, she wondered. What would happen then?

Either way, that was not the time to wonder about things like that, not with a fight against Fairy Tale coming up. She had to focus, focus on the fight and not her own troubles. She also had to focus on Tsukune. She wasn't sure, but the few moments he actually fought as a vampire, there was something strange about it. She thought she had seen it back at the mafia's place too, but she wasn't sure. However, if she was right, if Tsukune had managed that... Then it was quite possible he had inherited her potential in combat! That was unheard of! A _Ghoul_, even one borne of the Shinso, possessing the potential of a true Vampire?

She would have been so proud had she not been so mollified. Or saddened by the fact that, in the end, it wouldn't matter.

At least, she would get a bit of Tsukune's blood and that made up for it somewhat.

Kokoa grinned as she saw her sister's expression while she took of Tsukune's blood, this time offered to protect them in advance, a 'just in case' measure'. Moka never realized it, but Kokoa was nowhere near as addicted to the boy's blood as her sister. That was due to a very simple fact; to Vampires, the taste of blood often depended on psychological reasons, not merely physical. Moka, who had found her first friend and possible love interest in Tsukune, who had found someone who could look at either side of her the same way, who could trust her, who would fight any odds for her, the blood offered went beyond the physical need of a vampire. The fire-haired vampire could only wonder what would happen if Tsukune drank Moka's blood. It would be a sight to behold. After all, he was the only man she could trust with her magnificent onee-sama. Any other male should be destroyed.

While the group drove to where Yukari's compass led them, Marin, sitting at a back seat and observing the group of teens was wondering about something. She had heard what each of the girls were and even learned what Gin was from his own admittance. But what was Tsukune? His monster form was far more dreadful than the others and, beyond that, when he changed it had felt like... like... like something was fundamentally _wrong_. Like he turned from a kind boy into an absolutely evil _thing_. But, seeing how he treated the girls around him, how gently he held Moka when she had been wounded, she began to doubt her own memory. Maybe her fear had confused her? She didn't know and, part of her also said she didn't even want to. After all, what could turn a human boy into something like that?

The woman's thoughts were cut short as the car pulled up outside a large corporate building. Then Tsukune reached at Moka's neck and, with a swift movement, removed the rosario on her chocker.

Youki, not that the woman knew it for what it was burst outwards in a pillar of blood-red power. It seemed as an almost physical pressure, something that would have been easily noticed by every human

Thsnkfully, Ruby and Yukari had been quick in deploying the barrier that prevented contact to the human world. Otherwise, they would have to worry about the humans as well, beyond the Ayashi coming at them right now.

After all, it didn't take a sensor-specialist to feel the youki surge Moka's unrestrained power created.

It would take, however, someone with extremely developed attentive capabilities to notice the way Tsukune looked at said girl, for but a moment before he controlled himself. It was… _hungry_.

Feeling her power wash over him, unlike when she wore Belmont where she at least tried to keep it down, it caused him to think of several things that he would have rather avoided. Like how Moka's blood would taste and how her wonderful youki would pulse inside him if he but sunk his fangs into her alabaster-white skin… Or how it would feel if he let his self-control go and indulged in his fantasies of Moka and him, alone, with nothing but their blood- and regular lust between them…

Shoving these instincts deep down where they belonged, Tsukune focused on the fights rather than the temptations his Inner Demon was presenting. A good thing too, because it was at that moment the gates opened and a torrent of Ayashi, all in monster forms, attacked.

They didn't get too far as, with a single punch, Haiji oppened a path. That opening was more than enough for Gin, who dashed right in the middle, his fists blurring and leaving his enemies reeling with the sheer number of blows alone. Then, Koka lept in their midst, Kou-chan in spear form and spinning around her, throwing everyone away from her with mighty swings.

The entrance cleared, Tsukune and Moka moved in, like a two-pronged blade, smashing through resistance with mighty punch or agile kick. As soon as they went in, Kurumu, Mizore and a partly reluctant to abandon the many targets in front of her Kokoa followed them. The doors had been closed and secured almost two seconds after, just the time needed for Gin and Haiji to clear out the rest of the first line of defence.

Inside the entrance hall, chaos was abundant. Claws slashed, spit, acidic or flaming, flew through the air, punches and kicks rained on battered bodies, blades slashed through the air and the heady scent of blood and gore permeated the air.

It was an easy thing for Kurumu and Mizore to draw attention to themselves, a subtle illusion and the ability to make nigh-impenetrable walls of ice made the defenders realize that unless the two girls were taken down first, it would be impossible to catch the other two groups. Of course, it was easier said than done, especially with Kokoa practicing her newest moves on them, Kou-chan having taken a sword form this time due to the more limited space.

Gin and Haiji moved quickly through the throngs of enemies in front of them, unconcerned with their rear for the most part. Gin was especially aware of just how tough Mizore's walls of ice could be and Haiji himself had verified it when they withstood on of his empty fist attacks- there were many monsters that would be knocked out by one of them and yet her ice had withstood two.

Walking down towards the basement was an annoyance to the werewolf, mostly because he couldn't move as fast as he wanted. It was extremely fun for his partner as his 'Empty Fist Hole Punch' move damaged all in a straight line, perfect for compact corridors like those they were going through at the moment.

"Come on Gin! We have to save Sun-senpai!" Came Haiji's voice, trying to urge his friend to fight faster. "After all, the first one to get to her will probably be her hero, and then I'll be able to do all kinds of things to her!"

The taunt was not ignored, of course, by the werewolf and he redoubled his efforts to fight. "Damn ya Haiji, don't talk about Sun-senpai like that! Or do you want her angry at you, _again_?"

"S-Shut up you bastard!" Replied Haiji. It hadn't been one of his greatest moments in life. "I sure don't want her pissed off at me again!"

"Heh, I know what ya mean. Sun-senpai may look nice and kind, but when she gets serious… she's scary, ain't she? But she only gets serious when she closes her sketchbook."

Haiji nodded. "I know. She could probably take on all of these trash on her own if she wanted. But she's probably thinking about Marin and giving herself up for her. If we just told her that she's safe, then it would all be over in an instant."

Gin smirked. "Heh, she's the strongest of the generation for a reason. Probably how she calmed us both back then, eh?"

Haiji didn't reply, he didn't have to. Both third-years had been almost identical on their first years. Berserk monsters that lived for the battle and fought to beat everyone around them to a pulp. Until Sun came along that is and she smacked sense into them, literally. Ever since she opened their eyes to the true joys of the world, both males had held her in a special place in their hearts, despite how they concealed it with their perversions.

The change of the walls from pristine-white to dungeon-like stone was abrupt, but the two warriors minded it little. It meant they were approaching their target. Seeing the three-headed dog in front of a huge stone door, they smirked. Two things; first, they finally encountered an enemy that could challenge them at least a bit and second, such security meant that behind that door, Sun was being held captive.

Their enthusiasm wasn't so much reflected on the faces of Mizore and Kurumu. Don't get them wrong; they greatly enjoyed beating up those that threatened their precious friends and peace, but… "Damn, there's no end to these guys!" Huffed Kurumu, annoyed. After having trained with Gin, she was far too fast to be struck by them, but eventually they would simply tire her out.

And she just _knew_ what they intended to do to her, that look in their eyes was unmistakeable. Yet, whatever disgust and, in some part, fear that look may invoke in her thanks to her recent troubles, it was nothing like the fury that burst inside her normally kind heart when those same looks were sent to Mizore.

The poor yuki-onna had been nearly raped, in her own home at that. Kurumu herself had almost been soiled by unworthy hands. For some reason, the threat of her friend being… _damaged_ like that infuriated the succubus even more than if it were to happen to her.

Unknown to her, Mizore was of the same mind as her duet partner. She had almost suffered through that fate and saved thanks to Tsukune's unwitting interference in the Snow Village. There was no way she was letting _anyone_ touch Kurumu like that. She would freeze them in eternal agony if they tried to!

Kokoa on the other hand was unconcerned with such matters. She lived for battle after all and she had yet to mature enough to realize the terror of an unwanted hand roaming over her body in ways only a beloved should ever be allowed to. Instead, she was more focused in the actual fight. Thanks to Sekki's teachings, fighting came so much easier to her now. Ranged attacks or lashing vines or even large claws were easily predicted and promptly used to create openings for her to strike at those who would attack her.

Whispering at Kou-chan, she slightly altered the curvature of her Dao, allowing her for easier slashing while she dashed in her enemies' midst, before quickly changing the bat's weapon form into a straight sword and thrusting right through the lung of another enemy, a split second later turning into a two-bladed sword and reversing before spinning wildly around her.

Poor Kou-chan, his transformation ability was almost overtaxed, but the little bat _loved_ its master and would do anything for her. So what if he got tired by helping her? She had given him so much, working overtime for his master was not so much. And, beyond that, the little bat could feel its abilities increasing due to the intence 'practice session' it was going through. Soon, soon Kou-chan thought, it would be able to not only transform into a weapon, but it would gain its tribe's long-lost ability; the ability to split into more than one weapons.

A whole flight of stairs over them, two teens were carving a path through their numerous enemies. Be it from kick or fist, bodies were sent flying, broken and crushed, regardless of the monster's toughness. Granted, some were tougher than others, but still, they presented little challenge beyond their great numbers.

Still, it gave ample chance for Moka to observe how her partner, her _combat_ partner she insisted internally, fought. What she verified her made her flinch. It was familiar, terribly familiar. It was exactly like her. It was the next level of vampiric combat.

Vampires, as is commonly known, possess immense physical strength. But, all the strength in the world is pointless if you just can't land a blow. Against low-level monsters or inexperienced enemies, superior strength was enough. But, what about higher-ranked monsters or enemies with experience or skill beyond their race?

It was what separated S-ranked monsters from A-ranked ones. The ability to go beyond the natural gifts of their race and transcend them. In this case, it was using their naturally superior strength to increase their speed. A strong kick-off could increase speed to rival that of many kick-offs in the same amount of time. In essense, if a single step became more like a leap than a step, then the speed achieved would be much greater than expected. Of course, maneuvrability wasn't anywhere near that of someone with truly superior speed, but a vampire's reflexes and natural youki-sensor made the point moot.

What was terrifying is how naturally he did it, how easily it came to him. Most vampires would need a lot of training to get it, but Tsukune had done it without her help, not to mention he was _just_ a Ghoul! He had done it almost as easily as it had come to her, a Shinso vampire!

Then she gulped; she had just seen him shrug off a powerful body-tackle from a troll without a grunt. That meant that he had also learned how to turn his strength into toughness; suddenly and powerfully constricting his supernaturally strong muscles, effectively using his own strength to reduce that of his enemy's. But that required extreme focus to get the timing right.

She didn't know if she should be proud of him or fearful of what she knew would come later. There was also the vampire inside her that wanted to fight him. To fight him, fang and claw, her strength against his, her power against his, pushing him to the wall and… She blushed realizing that the vampire in her didn't just want to fight him but also do various other… strenuous… activities with him.

Shaking her head, Moka refocused on the present and promptly kicked a rather intrusive Ayashi through a wall. She harrumphed, how weak were they! Not even able to hurt her or provide her with a decent challenge despite their numbers. Of course, she was a Super Vampire, but still, she had expected… more from the dreaded Fairy Tale. Hopefully, their boss would be more of a challenge.

Tsukune on the other hand fought with much greater vigor than he would have admitted to anyone. It was them, these enemies in front of him, that were responcible for his greatest predicaments. They had sanctioned Anti-thesis which had led to him becoming cursed. It was bloodthirsty mosters like that that humans feared monsters and condemned them without getting to know them first.

He snarled as one of them tried to stab him in the back and promptly smashed the back of his fist in their face and launching him away. The other hand grabbed the fist of an Ettin, a two-headed giant with a split personality disorder to rival Moka's Rosario, and then lifted the heavy monster in the air before using him as a makeshift club and smashing him on his mob of friends.

Led by his instincts as well as highly-sharpened reactions, Tsukune weaved through his enemies before smashing his fists on their feeble bodies and sending them flying away from him. His youki caused otherworldly bats to flutter from the darkness and he fought even harder.

When Moka's demonic energy rose to rival his, the two vampiric teens looked at each other. An unvoiced challenge went between them and they split up, aiming to beat more enemies than their partner, as if that were a game between the two.

Moka would never admit she actually enjoyed it.

But, eventually, their enemies ran out, most probably thanks to Mizore sealing off all entrances to the floor. There was only one exit. One that they knew led to the leader, the one called Kamiya 'God' Kaede.

Tsubaki, a scout from Fairy Tale that had had the misfortune of meeting an angry Gin looking for Sun, had sung like a bird about the Headquarter's structure. Even Inner Moka had been surprised at the sheer hostility Gin was capable of when properly motivated.

So, that's why they knew that the branch's leader was on the upper floor where he could observe the whole of the land. This time, they weren't waiting for the fight to come to them, in a reversal of their usual strategy, Tsukune and Moka were taking the fight to their enemies. And by the Dark Lords it was going to be a good fight.

Kicking the door down was un-necessary, but a good way to vent the excess adrenaline in Tsukune's system, Moka standing regally just a few feet behind him, hands crossed over her chest.

Kamiya on the other hand looked unperturbed, sitting on his throne of gold with a similarly expensive-looking harp in his hands. "That was a very rude way to enter God's domain. I hate rude people, especially brats like you. But, since you have come all the way to my sanctum, pray tell, why have you done so?" He already had a pretty good idea why, but he just liked talking with his prey before devouring it.

"Don't joke with us! We've come for Sun-senpai!" Replied a furious Tsukune. There he was, the man who had orchestrated it all, who had brought such pain on a pure soul like Sun…

"Hmm, is that so? But your friend is already being saved by two others, is she not? And yet, you are here instead of there. You should better admit it, at least to yourselves, you are here for revenge. Not that much different from what I would do after all."

This time it was Moka who answered him. "Stop your pointless mind games, fool. We are not here for revenge. We are here for insurance. To make sure no one repeats what you and your men have done."

Tsukune mentally thanked Moka. He couldn't deny that some part of him wanted revenge for the wrongfully hunted senpai of his, but as she said, their main goal was not to avenge her but to make sure no one threatened her again.

Kamiya laughed. "You are very amusing little girl. Perhaps once this is over and you have heard my voice, I would be inclined to keep you as my concubine."

He would have said more had not Tsukune interrupted him with his fist, made heavy by his furious energy. The throne exploded into shards from the force of the blow as the Fairy Tail regional Leader leapt away into safety. "You will not lay a finger on Moka-san you **scum**." It was a statement.

"Hmph, realize your station fool." Said the blonde man, unknowingly paraphrasing Moka's favourite saying and earning even more of her ire. "You are nothing before me. And yet you defend the humans. Humans who hate and fear us, who hunt us as if we are something despiccable. It's because of them that so many of us have been forced into hiding and rules of a society that is against our very natures! Can't you see that what we do is right? By destroying humanity, all the world will belong back to us Ayashi, the superior species!"

"**SILENCE!**" Tsukune roared, his youki exploding outwards and taking on the form of his demonic self. "How **dare** you! It's monsters like you, bastards like _**you**_, who give ayashi a bad name! It's because of _**you**_ that monsters are feared and hated! It's because of _**you**_… that I have _**no home to return to!**_"

Then he was onto his enemy, fist cocked back for a mighty punch, one that would assure the unconsciousness, if not death, of whomever was in the receiving end.

Kamiya merely opened his mouth and a sound of eerie, distorted beauty issued forth from him.

Moka was stunned to see blood fly out of Tsukune's mouth as he was knocked back from some unseen force.

The reason became obvious mere seconds after due to Kamiya taking his true form. Majestic wings spread out from his shoulders and his feet changed to those of a bird.

"Fools, did you think I was a weakling to be defeated by the likes of you? I am Kamiya 'God' Kanae! The being closest to God! My power as a Siren makes my voice into my weapon! Despair and submit to my divine power!" He laughed maniacally.

Moka cringed inwards. It was not like Kamiya was a strong monster, but he was obviously skilled and she had the disadvantage thanks to the difference of range and speed between them; he was not limited to the reach of his hands and feet while his voice was much faster than her own movements.

It was like fighting Kahlua all over again.

Next to her, Tsukune got up, snarling. "You bastard…" He ground out. It felt like his internal organs had been smashed by a fist that passed through his skin and bones as if they were not there. Thankfully, his regenerative ability made up for it, but he knew it would not last forever.

"Hahaha!" Laughed their enemy, clearly enjoying their faces of apprehension. "Despair before me! After all, even if not for my divine power, I would still be beyond your reach. Come forth my minions! **Dimensional Mirror Transfer!**"

The walls themselves seemed to light with Kamiya's energy before they turned into a reflective water-like substance. When fish-like heads seemed to emerge from them, both vampiric teens realized what the technique was about.

It was a trans-dimensional summoning technique, one of the hardest kind of black arts possible.

However neither would fall that easily. One for her pride and the other in order to protect her. They roared in defiance and their youki flared as they charged.

Leaping head first into a group of sahaugin, the monsters Kamiya had summoned, Tsukune knew he could transform into his demonic form safely, there were plenty of enemies so as to not risk loosing control. But, Moka would only train him, _accept him_, if he showed her he was a worthy student. Besides, depending on his fell heritage so much made him feel inadequate. He had to get stronger, _he_ had to get stronger, not his demon.

Unbeknownst to him, Moka had already acknowledged his prowess. But she still couldn't, wouldn't, accept him as her student. Not for being too weak, but for fear of what she would do if he spent more time with her. Already she could feel her heart yearning for him, she could feel her normally harsh eyes soften when looking at him. But she could not be with him, it was forbidden for them both.

Yet not once did she realize that she feared more what would happen to him if they had an affair rather than what would happen to her.

The fish-people were no big challenge, or even one at all, to the two teens, easily plowing through them. So, why had he sounded so confident? Surely Kamiya knew that no matter how many weak monsters he summoned, they would not be a challenge for a Vampire, much less two.

Then it became apparent as one of the sahaugin poked its tongue at Moka and shot a blast of concentrated water, much like it had been done at the snack-bar.

The silver-haired female scoffed at the telegraphed attack and gracefully leapt through the air.

Then her eyes widened as she saw sahaugin heads poking out the walls and ceiling, all of them aiming at her. And in the end, against so many of them, there was nothing she could do. Coiling in preparation for pain, Moka's eyes shut close.

The water blasted with the force of a gun at Moka, but a shadow blurred in front of her, intercepting them.

When she next opened her eyes, surprised by the grunt of pain, Moka's blood ran cold. Tsukune had leapt into the air in front of her and taken the blows aimed at her, the force of the hits throwing him at her.

Upon their less than graceful landing, the girl desperately looked at Tsukune, hoping to see him get up unaffected, unharmed. Safe.

He didn't move from where he rolled to a stop.

She didn't know when her aura leaked out. She didn't know when she snarled. She didn't know when she got up and roared in fury.

But she did know when Tsukune's youki exploded out of his body, a body transforming horribly, mutating to its horrible alternate form.

It was exactly as Moka remembered it, powerful and built for strength and destruction. But it seemed bigger, only a bit less than ten feet in height despite its hunched forward. Beyond that, there were dozens of runes, mystical markings running all over his demonic flesh and armor, burning with a mystical flame.

Then both of them developed the same bloodthirsty, angry, vengeful smile on their faces and simultaneously leapt at their numerous foes.

Claw and tail lashed and speared while kick and fist crushed.

Monsters were ripped off from their entrenchment in the dimensional technique and tossed to the partner to the thrower.

Blood pumped and roared in all combatants' ears as the duo began to systematically tear down Kamiya's forces.

For his part, the branch leader watched in awe and more than a bit of fearful lust. He could understand Akuha-sama's desire for those two now. And he knew he could deliver her everything she ever wanted, gaining unbelievable power in return. But first to weaken those two a bit more. His youki surged again and he recasted his summoning technique, calling on even more of his servants.

It did not go as planned.

As soon as the walls and floor and ceiling began to vibrate with magical energy, something spoke inside Tsukune, words ancient before time was born, feelings ephemeral as they were eternal, a call to existence's own reality.

Just as Kamiya sung his magic into existence, Tsukune roared his own in reply.

Moka was surprised to see the runes engraved on her friend's flesh and bone flare with power before he roared a roar so dissonant, so inherently rejecting of reality itself that it tore Kamiya's spell to shreds.

It was worse for the Fairy Tail member. It was not that his magic had been cancelled. It was that he was a being of and for music.

Tsukune's roar was simply so dissonant, so utterly dreadful that it stunned Kamiya into inaction. Not just the shock of a non-Siren using a sound-related ability at that level of power, but he was _literally_ hurt by the sound.

Moka didn't need to waste a second. Burning Tsukune's blood was an instantaneous proceedure to her now, absent-mindedly frowning at how many times she'd had to do this, and the burst of power enhanced her already terrifying combat prowess.

In a burst of youki she was gone, heading for a powerful spinning aerial kick with all she had into it.

"Know your place scum!" Her trademark catchphrase in her lips, she smashed her leg onto Kamiya's torso, enjoying the sound of broken ribs and ruptured organs.

She did not much enjoy the feeling of being stabbed in multiple places by daggers, or steel-like feathers to be precise. It seemed Kamiya had one last line of defence.

Then again, he might have had _two_, seeing as how his monster form became even more monstrous, or rather disfigured. He seemed to gain in size with a grossly enhanced torso and an even worse face.

To Moka, a proud and vain even Vampire, it was disgusting.

"**You! How dare you! How dare you lay a hand on **_**me**_**! The being closest to God! How dare you strike GOD?"** He roared and his voice reverbrated in the confined space of the room. **"I will destroy you!"**

He opened his mouth and seemed to suck in an inordinate amount of wind, ready to unleash his most powerful attack and both teens knew that it would be on a whole other level than what they had encountered until that moment.

Yet when the sound came… Nothing happened.

Or rather, the sheer dark weight of that cry was drowned out by another voice, that one more closely resembling an angel's song.

Standing at the entrance to the room, Otonashi Sun sang for the first time in years, her wings giving her an angelic appearance.

"**W-What? Sun! You bitch! You dare defy me?"**

"Of course." She replied coldly. "You betrayed your own honor and word. You are worse than trash. I have no mercy for you who would attack Marin-san even after our deal. Yet I shall not stain my hands with your blood. That right falls entirely up to Tsukune-san and Moka-san. I can however make sure you will never sing again, Kamiya 'God' Kanae."

There was ice and steel in her words as her song seemed to increase in tempo and intensity, pushing back Kamiya's immense volume with sheer mastery over the simplest of notes and choirs.

Then Sun's song reached Kamiya and he screamed at thet unbelievable pain in his throat, realizing that she had destroyed his vocal cords with her song and yet not knowing how she had done so.

Fear gripped his heart harsher than any rage he had felt at heathens who defied him, tighter than any feeling of elation he ever had at killing a human.

Moka had risen again and she had not been pleased or happy. Blood was dripping down her quickly closing wounds, courtesy of Tsukune's blood still lingering inside of her. Otherworldly bats and a feeling of velvety darkness surrounded her before she leapt at Kamiya and delivered a devastating heel drop on his head, crushing his skull.

"And with that, Fairy Tail's hold over me is at an end." Sun's voice came just seconds before Kurumu and Mizore tackled Tsukune just as Kokoa tackled her sister.

It was all over. It was all safe again. Home was back again.

As the group left to regroup, Tsukune asked for some time alone, something he was reluctantly given. But he had to verify something.

He had to scour Kamiya's resources to see if there was any news about Fairy Tail, anything they could use against the group.

Instead something else drew his attention.

It was a scent so heavenly, so commanding, so utterly captivating he couldn't help but follow it.

His hand gingerly picked up a feather from the ground, its pearl-white coloration marred by a red liquid known as blood.

Before he even knew what he was doing, Tsukune had placed the feather into his mouth and licked the blood off it.

Taste flourished inside him, growing into a crescendo of almost orgasmic pleasure. He shuddered and suckled on the once-lethal weapon until all the blood had been cleaned off.

Only then did he realize what he was doing and threw it away.

Only then did the horror and disgust of his actions reach his conscious mind.

Tsukune left that building without a single glance back.

That night, despite the entire place being ruined and filled with holes, the group didn't feel sad at all. They felt great, as if they had helped someone make a new start. Something that could be taken literally as now Sun spoke quite freely and Marin was simply amazed at the various abilities ayashi seemed to show. Who knew the little witch was that good at household duties or that vampires could lift many times their weight in no time? Let's not forget Mizore who stole the spotlight by freezing various fruits and turning them into sherberts, this time without fearing about being found out. The only one who's true form wasn't discussed much was Tsukune, but even then he told Marin that he was originally a human who had 'somehow' gained ayashi abilities, trusting Sun to not reveal anything she shouldn't.

Later that night, Kurumu called Sun over to the side."Hey, Sun-senpai, can I ask for a favor?"

"Of course Kurumu-san, what is it?" The siren replied, only too happy to help her friend.

"Well, you have a really great voice and I heard that music calms people's nerves. So I was thinking, Tsukune gets really angry some times, but it's not his fault it's because of what he is. Just, sometimes, it's really hard for him to control it. So, well, who better to ask about music than a siren? Couldn't you like, sing him a song that will calm him down? I mean you certainly pulled off some _really_ cool tricks on that jerk Mr. God..."

Sun thought about it for a bit. "I think I know what you mean, but I don't think I can do it. What you're asking is for a very specialized melody. To compose it however, I'd have to know the person very well. However, I only know Tsukune-san for so little, I don't think I can just up and make a song for him. You'd have to tell me everything about him and even then..."

Kurumu tapped her chin for a bit before the proverbial light bulb lit over her head. "Tell you everything about him? How about I top that? I'm going to show you, let you _feel_ everything that is Tsukune. Then you'll see why I'm doing this." A long, purple devil-like tail rose up in front of Sun before it split open in four triangle-like suction pads. "I'm a succubus after all, dreams and minds are our specialty!"

Sun nodded before she felt the tail latch on the top of her head and her world blacked out with a feeling of falling endlessly.

Then she was floating over an ocean. "Welcome to my mind Sun-senpai. Now, let me show you everything I know about Tsukune. Just tell me if I go too fast." Kurumu's voice came from everywhere before a humanoid shape rose from the sea, levitated up to Sun's level and touched her.

Back in the real world, Sun woke up to find herself held up by the succubus. "So that was Tsukune-san... Amazing, to think that he is... Very well Kurumu-san, I'll write and record a song for you and Tsukune-san." But as she left, she couldn't resist the urge to look back and wink at her kohai. "Though really, if he wasn't taken already, I'd be tempted to snatch him for myself!" She said, leaving Kurumu to mock-glare at her, well before she received a retort that made her rush away.

"You're welcome to join the harem any time, sister!"

Always trust Kurumu to make a sexual joke and _still_ manage to make her talkers aroused, embarassed, or both, regardless of gender.

The next night found the group sleeping quietly after a hard day of repairs, that somehow got turned into one huge joke. They couldn't help it; just being near one another made them turn everything into an enjoyable experience. Two however from the school weren't asleep.

Tsukune was sitting on a hammock, one of the new installments of the hostel, gazing at the stars. Despite being physically tired, he wasn't asleep yet, probably an after-effect of not sleeping for a week straight before the Headmaster sent him on forced vacation.

Steps behind him made him tense, but also relax when he realized who it was.

Sun stayed next to him, calmly looking over the sea, illuminated by a gentle half-moon and the many stars of the night sky. She looked at him and then where his sight flew every few seconds. She smiled softly. "You... you love them don't you?" She asked, getting a melancholic look from the boy.

"I think so... yeah..." He replied, not sure himself but for a reason other than not knowing how strong his feelings were. No, he was more worried about whether his feelings came from lust, a friendship taken too far or true love. Maybe even loneliness, latching desperately onto anyone who could save him from that dark abyss? Whatever it was, he knew it was strong and growing stronger by the day.

"They love you too, you know that." That got her a soft, but still somehow sad, smile.

"Yeah..."

Sun frowned. She didn't like this; Tsukune was usually much more active. Which meant that something was wrong. "So why don't you do something about it?" Best way to solve such a problem was to inquire directly, she thought. If she could make him confront whatever it was that stopped him, maybe she could help her friends.

"Because I'm afraid."

That definitely sent her for a loop. After all, it was obviously not a fear of them beating him for choosing someone else. Nor was it a fear of loosing them as friends; she had seen how tight the group was. Not even a failed romance could separate them, she could see that. "What are you afraid of?"

"... Myself..."

Oh, so _that_ was it. He was scared of himself, he was scared for them. It made sense, in a weird way. Since he had been human, burdened rather suddenly with the power, and responcibility, of an Ayashi, thrust suddenly into an unknown world, having to fight all the time... He obviously didn't know how to deal with many things, or how to turn a gift for war into a gift for peace. She smiled. "I did too, fear myself I mean." That earned her a surprised look before understanding dawned on him; he had heard how she had been abandoned at birth because her power was too great. "Still, I think you stand a good chance. By the way, your 'friend', Kurumu, had me make this for you. It's a few songs to help you calm down sometimes, especially when those 'student president jerks demand you bend over backwards for them', her words." She handed him a small MP3 and earphones, a set given to her by Gin, unknown being their origin. They had some music in them before, but it was horrible so she had it all deleted and instead replaced with her own singing.

The boy looked at her in gratitude before pocketing the gift and continuing his vigilance over the sea, the girl humming softly.

Neither noticed a pink-haired girl eavesdropping on them. Or the blush on her face.

_'I knew it, Tsukune-san really loves us Ura-chan!'_

_**'Don't sound so happy about it Omote! Have you forgotten? We can't be with him. He is, for all his power and gifts and bravery, he is still but a **_**human**_**.'**_ Said Inner Moka, but there was no sense of hate or disgust in the word 'human', unlike she did back... before she met Tsukune. She had to stress it out though, to her outer self, how important that fact was.

_'But... but does it _really_ matter Ura-chan? I mean, isn't love more important?'_

_**'Love... I admit it is important, but we do **_**not**_** love him. We like him, there's a difference. Now go back to sleep, we have a long day ahead of us!'**_ And yet, even as Moka denied her loving him, she couldn't help but doubt her own words. She didn't love him, she _couldn't_ love him. Because if she did... If she ended up loving him... Fear and terror griped the vampiress' heart and she retreated back into the rosary.

For the next few days that the group stayed in the Hostel, Tsukune would be rarely seen without his MP3 player, even if he didn't always have it playing. He had heard only the first song, but he had set it on 'repeat' and constantly listened to it when he could, even humming the tune while working to repair the shop.

And then was the day they would have to leave and go back to Youkai Gakuen. It was a sorroful farewell, but also one that left both sides richer for it. Marin even gave her telephone number to Tsukune, since with them being the only humans they were the ones more accustomed to using telephones for long-distance communication. He was teaching his friends, but they had apparently developed a small phobia of all things electronic. Just like Kurumu, the top flier of the three, couldn't believe planes actually flew.

When they left, through the journey back, one could hear Sun's singing come from the bus' speakers, courtesy of a plugged MP3, a soft ballad.

_What is it_

_That turns weak to strong?_

_What is it_

_That makes one into a hundred?_

_What is it_

_That dispels the shadows of fear?_

_What is it_

_That I now feel?_

_It is strong and ancient_

_It is rare and pure_

_It is oft told but rarely given_

_It's name is Love.._

**A/N: Finally managed to re-write the chapter to better suit me. Hope it's better now. I still think it needs some more work, but it's better than before. Not much, I'm still not satisfied, but at least I tried to make it more to my style.**

**In case you're wondering, Kamiya was stunned because the way Tsukune uses Dispel is his anathema; he is music and melody (albeit used in a vile way) and Tsukune was dissonance. It was a one-of-a-kind thing. Also, despite what Moka may think, Tsukune isn't at her level as a vampire, neither will he ever be. Put simply, he knows the same tricks as she does, but he simply cannot rival her experience in using them, her talent at using them not even the sheer _magnitude_ that she uses them in. He can become faster and tougher, but it would be like comparing a wheelock to an MG-3 gun. Both shoot bullets, but really, one of them is simply superior.**

**Anyway, here are my OMAKEs, they made me laugh quite a bit, but then again I'm insane. Oh, and I hope you liked the first few lyrics of that song; I wrote it but I'm having a headache right now so it may not be good (though headaches usually increase my authoring prowess for some unknown reason... I'm insane aren't I?)  
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**Today, on this 9/6/2012, I, Soulblazer87, do hereby leave this site, possibly forever.**

**I shall not update this, or any other story.**

**I shall leave them on, however. Should you desire to follow my stories, do so in my new site of residence: www dot yourfanfiction dot com.**

**OMAKE 1: It's a Ninja thing**

As Mizore ran along Yukari, Ruby and Tsukue over to wherever boob-girl was, she received the weirdest question from the little witch.

"So, Mizore-an, _how_ did you know Kurumu-san was in danger?"

"It's... a ninja thing." She said matter of factly.

"A... ninja thing?" Asked the incredulous witch.

"Yes, a ninja thing. I'm a ninja." Came the immidiate responce with a tone that said 'and that's that'.

"But... but ninja don't exist, they're a bunch of fictional characters, created to possess supernatural powers to entertain the masses with improbable stunts. There's no ninjas!"

Then the group realized that they were one person short as Mizore selected that time to go to a corner and sulk.

The next day she picked up a new ideal to follow. One that had her placing a weird metal hook on her right hand and an eyepatch over her left eye.

She had become... a pirate. And this time Yukari didn't bother correcting the girl.

**OMAKE 2: Thoughts on God**

"I am the being closest to God! I am Kamiya 'God' Kanae! Bow to God's will!" Spoke the obviously insane blonde man.

Tsukune had not had a good day. His Inner Demon was acting up, he was thirsty for blood, Kurumu-chan had been abducted and almost molested from people under that jerk and he was getting _fed up_!

"God? You think you're God?" Asked Tsukune, getting a nod and a rant on how his talker was God. "Wanna know what _I_ think of God, Huh?"

Then his hands changed to their demon version and he moved unbelievably fast behind the very surprised Kamiya. Even before his movement was completed, his hands were clapped together, but in a weird way; only the pointer and middle finger were up, all other fingers had wrapped firmly around the other hand.

Mizore gasped and got stars in her eyes, prompting Kurumu to ask her what the hell was going on.

"This! This is! This is Kakashi-sama's unique Hidden Leaf Secret Martial Supreme Technique: One Thousand Years Of Pain technique!" Squealed Mizore, waving a 'Naruto' manga around.

Tsukune seemed to agree. "Hidden Leaf Secret Martial Supreme Technique: One Thousand Years Of Pain, Demon Version!" Before he rammed his hands up and into Kamiya's rectum.

'God' did not return to challenge Tsukune and his group. In fact, he stopped being 'God' altogether.

He became 'God_dess_'...


	19. New Arrivals, New Challengers

_New Arrivals, New Challengers_

Returning to Youkai Gaken was a relatively calm affair. Well, as calm as things could be with Moka, Kurumu, Mizore and Yukari in the same confined room with the object of their affections.

After their trials, the group seemed quite a bit closer to each other. Kurumu herself had received a sign that her fight for her Destined One hadn't been lost just as the entire group had had a glimpse of the life that awaited them after. And it wasn't a pleasant thought. Seeing the hate and mistrust of humans towards Ayashi had everyone thinking of what would happen afterwards. They would need a job, Tsukune would be especially problematic in that regard. Being what he was, working as a human would be... wasteful and that's without taking into account the fact he could be revealed as an Ayashi. Working as an Ayashi would be just as hard; he knew very little about Ayashi and their ethics or lifestyle. Despite him having adapted wonderfully, there were many things that cannot be substituted for, things such as lifelong experience. The only solution would be working for the Exorcist, but the Aono didn't trust the man enough to dedicate himself into it, something about the white-robed man rubbed him the wrong way. Probably the fact he always seemed to speak in riddles and use him for his own secretive, albeit benevolent, purposes.

All in all, while calm on the outside, all of the teens, even the two youngest of the group, were thinking about their futures. Well, Gin and Haiji were just thinking about perving and their old senpai, but that's a whole different thing. While Kurumu thought about what could her… _talents_… help her in the real world, Mizore was worried she would be forced back to her village and married off to a random stranger as breeding stock. Yukari wasn't as worried; she knew she would become a teacher, she only had to find out _what_ she would teach. Moka however was worried about her own certain future; her eventual return to her vampiric family and the long since due punishment she was going to receive, be it expressed as such or by forcing her to do horrible, despiccable things.

There was also the fact that either of these girls' fates would take them away from their male friend, which was unacceptable, even to Inner Moka.

Speaking of the silver-haired female, she was having trouble refusing Tsukune the training he deserved and she had promised. He had shown great aptitude in combat and he was able to manipulate his youki in ways most vampires didn't even know they could. After all, few vampires bothered with speed or toughness when they possessed the immense strength they are so proud of. But Moka knew better, she knew that just strength was not enough, it was pointless if you couldn't even land a blow, fighting Gin had proven that. True S-rank monsters were those that took their naturally born advantages and transcended them, turning them into something else and completing themselves in more than one ways.

So, how could she deny Tsukune what was rightfully his? Granted she had been the one to give it to him in the first place, but remembering _that_ only made things worse because it reminded her that it was also her responcibility. So she put it off, remaining silent and, in Outer's words, sulking.

But she didn't have that time to spare. Merely a day after returning to Youkai Gakuen, the Headmaster called them to his office. When the group entered, he looked quite troubled and rightfully so. Fairy Tail had gone too far this time. While he was as much a 'hands-off' person as one could be, he still cared for each and every one of his students. Especially those he had raised _himself_ since they were practically _born_. For those obnoxious brats to go after one of his students, let alone one of that importance, it really grated on even his impressive patience.

"**Welcome back my dear children."** He began, trying to make them comfortable, but only managing to creep them out. **"Dear Ruby-san told me that **_**many, many **_**things happened in your vacation, mostly in regards to that accursed organization, Fairy Tail. There is much to discuss, not the least of which pertains to the attack against Tsukune-kun and Moka-chan a few weeks back."**

Tsukune removed the speakers from his MP3, which now he carried with him almost everywhere, lest he be without its calming music, and shut down the electronic invention. "You're talking about our mole, right? Well, I did as you asked and stayed away. What came up?" Despite his apparent assurance that the spy would have revealed himself, Tsukune himself wasn't too sure. Fairy Tail was skilled, terrifyingly so. Maybe not in combat, at least not all of them he recalled thinking back to Kahlua and Kamiya, but they definitely had many members. Some of them could, logically, be talented spies.

"**That is exactly the problem…"** The Exorcist sighed. **"There has been nothing. Not a single clue or suspicion. Either Fairy Tail has far better spies than we give them credit for or they have some way of peering into the future. Still, something about the whole thing is suspicious."**

Kokoa nodded emphatically, her sharp mind catching up quickly. "Of course there is. The whole ambush was too weak. Even with a Dark Creeper to lead, it would take much more than a pair of brutes and a walking mushroom to take down Onee-sama, much less when Aono's with her."

Ignoring Tsukune's grumbles that he was right there in front of her, the Headmaster hummed. **"I know, but I still do not understand why. Even had the Myconid managed to poison Inner Moka-san, it would take much more than a pair of Trolls to take her down. So why waste resources on something so pointless? While not short in resources, it is… pointless to do something like that."**

"But we kicked their butt didn't we?" Piped up Kurumu enthusiastically. "I mean, we just took out one of their major headquarters. That should at least make them back off a bit, right?"

"That or make them take us seriously and strike sooner." Countered Mizore, knowing that since their enemy was aware of how skilled they really were, it would only be a matter of time before stronger and stronger enemies fought them, before they would be given no respite or quarter in fights.

"But a hand that strikes hastily is weak~desu." Yukari defended the succubus, surprisingly. "Why did they wait so long for Sun-senpai? Why didn't they launch attack after attack at us, wearing us down by attrition? Because, they are not ready yet, for whatever it is they want. If we force them to fight now…"

"We could make them fight us on _our_ grounds. And this time we are not letting them take the initiative." Mizore's usually monotone voice belied her emotions towards fighting those who had almost raped her and destroyed her fate with Tsukune. For them, despite her normally kind and caring nature, she would show no mercy.

"**It is a good thing to dream of such things, but Fairy Tail is an organization on a much larger scale than anything you have faced until now. It is quite possible that their agenda includes other, more obscure goals, goals that we know nothing about. That allows for the possibility of them having their full forces against us assembled and merely waiting for something else to happen. If that is so, we must proceed carefully."** The Headmaster was quick to cut the group's haste at launching an aggressive offence. And with good reason; despite these childrens' strength, they were still children, unable to perceive and calculate for the innumberable variables of existence that he could. They were geniuses, perhaps talented enough to rival the Dark Lords at some point in time, but they were not that strong. Not yet, if ever.

The meeting was quickly ended, after all the children all had the school to attend to while the Headmaster had to think about his next steps in this mortal and great chess game. It was only when he felt a certain youki signature, something he had long since learned to identify easily, that he let a smile grace his face. Finally a few more of his side's pieces were coming to play. Now, he only had to use them properly…

That youki signature belonged to a weird Ayashi. He was new to the school, but his family life had given him knowledge far different than his other classmates. That, coupled with his effeminate looks, foreign dress code and his own trouble at conversing in a language other than his own had turned him into a loner. He didn't mind much because, not only was he a 'royal' youkai and therefore had been taught from an early age to not pursue the friendship of commoners, but also because his special talents allowed him to have as many ;friends' as he wanted.

Or at least that is what he thought because he was about to be informed about the true power of friendship.

Stepping out from behind a tree and leaning on it to give his best 'cool person' impression, the male introduced himself. "Greetings Tsukune-san. I am Wong Fan-Fan."

Unfortunately, that only drew no attention towards him as the group was too immersed in talking with each other to bother with someone they saw for the first time.

'_Gah, totally ignored! Maybe if I tried again?'_ Coughing to draw attention to himself, the effeminate boy re-introduced himself, much to the same results as before. This time becoming angry he had his friend, a huge monster panda attack the group at his cry. "Tsukune-san! You will listen to me!"

Unfortunately for him, there was a very simple reason he had been ignored and that wasn't his youki or presence. Simply put, the group had fought for their lives so many times that they had learned to identify,l and in Mizore's case also sense with pin-point accuracy, the feeling of Killer Intent. Absorbed as they had been in their discussions, or attempts at seduction as it were, they paid no notice of the world around them.

Predictably, when they felt the summon's intent to harm them, they were surprised, which caused them to overreact.

The summoned monster found its lower half frozen solid, a sharp claw hovering between its eyes and sharp vines wrapped around it and aiming at its body. At the same time, the summoner was treated to the sight of many floating, winged metal cards around its head, a hand constricting his throat and a spear aimed at his heart.

Everyone blinked in surprise, be it at their over-reaction or at how quickly things changed from a brave attack into the desire to go for a change of underwear.

Of course, the group's retaliation instantly shattered the poor panda's intent to harm them, considering the enemies that had been placed against it, making the group wonder if they had imagined the threat, or whatever it was that thought it could threaten them.

Looking at the new transfer student, obviously young enough to be in the first year, not to mention having read over his file a few times while hunting for the mole, Tsukune sighed as he released Fan-Fan's throat. "Ugh, sorry about that, kohai, but you shouldn't try to attack us again. Now off you go, there are lessons you have to attend."

Being blown off like that didn't sit well with Fan-Fan, but there was little he could do. He had been totally crushed in an instant, even if combat had never been his forte. Still, he gathered whatever courage he had left and reached out to Tsukune, this time forcefully but with no ill intent. "Please wait Tsukune-san! There is something I have to talk to you about!"

That drew the boy's attention. He had fully expected the new boy to run off after being so totally overwhelmed. Which meant that he really had something important to tell him, to risk like that. He should probably listen to it too, he thought. It could have to do with Fairy Tail and the boy was too weak to work for them. With a sigh, he removed his MP3 player from his ears and turned to the boy. "Alright, what is it? I just came back from a trip so if it's about an administrative favour, you can forget about it."

Morale increasing that he now had his target's attention, Wong Fan-Fan pulled his panda to his side and leaned on it. "It is an honor to finally meet you face to face Aono Tsukune-kun. I am Wong Fan-Fan, heir to the Wong family. I have come to propose to you."

Now _that_ drew a lot of weird looks from the group. Mizore was impressed that Tsukune could actually draw _boys_ as well as girls, Kurumu was wondering if Fan-Fan really _was_ a boy and Yukari was ready to tear the poor boy a new one for daring to get between Tsukune and Moka, especially since he was a boy. Kokoa on the other hand developed a nosebleed, which she fervently denied ever having under pain of a messy and painful death, while Moka and Tsukune gawked in stereo. Ruby, being Ruby, was thinking of things best left unsaid for the sake of female readers.

Fan-Fan however was unperturbed by this, wholly believing he had done no wrong. So he continued on. "If you be my eternal partner, me and my family will provide everything to you! Money, power, training, safety, anything you could ever desire!" Looking at his prospective 'eternal partner', Fan-Fan seemed to burn with determination. "So! Become mine, Tsukune-san! Lend me the power of your body and I will make sure your future is guaranteed to be the best possible!"

The sheer straighforward way of saying it had Tsukune take a few steps back. "Wha-What the hell are you talking about?"

Fan-Fan was undeterred, he knew he would eventually have what he wanted. "Why, it's obvious isn't it? With your wondrous power at my side and my family's resources, we're a match made in heaven! So!" He reached out with a hand. "Come with me Tsukune-san! Give your everything to me and I shall give you your heart's desire!"

Unfortunately for the young scion, and thankfully for Tsukune's sanity, the females in the company reacted. Rather violently.

"NO! Definitely no! Stay away from my Destined One!"

"That's right~desu! Only Moka-san can be Tsukune-san's partner!"

"I am _not_ handing over Tsukune to you."

These were only some of the lines thrown at porr Fan-Fan, making the chinese youkai take a step back. "Who- Who are you people! I knew Tsukune-san had a harem but this is too much to rival!"

Moka was quick to reply, most probably because she had lacked the courage to make Fan-Fan back off from Tsukune. "I'm his friend!"

Kurumu didn't lag behind. "His lover!"

Neither did Mizore. "His wife!"

Nor Yukari. "His concubine!"

And last but not least, blushing demurely as if ashamed, Ruby. "His toy!"

'_Toy? Ruby-san…'_ Tsukune groaned on the inisde, the eldest of the group never failed to embarrass him at the strangest times. Though he didn't say or think it, mostly because it hurt too much to, he did feel a pang of pain at Moka's declaration that she was his friend.

"A-Amazing! To think that so young and yet he already has everything from friends to wives to toys!" Fan-Fan sounded truly impressed. Regardless, he pressed on. "Truly a man deserving of me! Join me Tsukune-san and you can also bring your harem with you under the roof of my home!"

That was the last straw as Kurumu, incessed that someone could possibly be more straightforward in the pursuit of Tsukune than her, punched him with all the strength in her petite body. "Like there's a chance we'd let Tsukune become yours!"

While the newcomer flew away, the entire harem tried to console the shivering, shuddering and unbelievably creeped out Tsukune, helping him get over the… ordeal… of Fan-Fan's proposition.

Speaking of Fan-Fan, he wasn't the kind of person to give up at first trouble. So, as soon as he landed and managed to move without feeling like every bone in his body had been fractured, he shook his fist determinedly. "If I can't have you by peace Tsukune-san, I'll make you mine by force! I'll beat you and then show you why you should become my underling!"

So he marched back at the group, happy that his panda went back where he summoned it from, that meant he'd be able to summon something new, something strong, something… that would convince Tsukune to become his!

First however, he'd have to find the Newspaper Club members, something that wasn't as easy as it sounded. After all, the one unifying and horrific thing in all schools is… lessons.

Tsukune and Moka were walking towards their club room, finally finished with processing several photos they had taken, ready to finally add them to their paper. Talking with each other about what they should publish and how to do it, they didn't notice the figure of a transfer student until he spoke.

"There you are Tsukune-san! This time I will make you mine! With force if needed!"

Annoyed at being interrupted during his few calm times with his friends, Tsukune snapped at him. "What do you want now? I have more important things to do than listen to you." Which was absolutely true; he also had his own duties as Student Council President to worry about as well as his studies.

Wong Fan-Fan smirked. "I'm afraid I can't do that, Tsukune-san! We will fight and if I win, you will become mine!" Now that he had issued his honorable 'challenge', the chinese boy acted.

With a swish of his long sleeves, coins and a paper strip came into his hands, youki imbuing them. The coins themselves seemed to connect with each other to take the form of a sword while the wielder scribed mystic symbols on the paper with a drop of his Fan-Fan's forehead.

"I am a Yasha! In command of a thousand other Ayashi! I will _definitely_ make you mine, Tsukune-san!" The boy's youki surged like lightning all over him and with a crack of thunder, a winged serpent had appeared, coiled around the summoner.

Moka was stunned. "S-Summoning magic? That boy can use summoning at that age?" Inner Moka was surprised as well, but not nearly as stunned as her Outer. Her youki sensor told her that it was more due to the boy's race than his skill or power. It made the summoner exceedingly weak in all other aspects, not to mention that the summon wasn't nearly strong enough to even faze Tsukune.

Speaking of who, sensing the hostile intent towards Moka, he decided to quickly take action. Dropping his backpack, filled with books and notebooks, Tsukune rushed forward, his youki colored vampiric and surging to his hands.

One punch later and the winged snake was sent tumbling away, through several dead trees and into a large stone. It twitched weakly and dissolved away into nothingness, defeated.

Fan-Fan blinked. That was… anticlimactic. But it _did_ show that his faith in Tsukune was not misplaced. "As expected of you Tsukune-san! I had hoped that the rumours of you destroying a Fairy Tail base was not heresay, but to actually see your strength makes me want you even more!" His youki was channeled into the coin sword again. "But this fight is far from over! I still have many subordinates I can call to aid me!"

He did not get the chance to, courtesy of an irate and worried group of girls who had rushed to the scene as soon as Mizore sensed Tsukune's youki. It was a good thing she had spent so long sta… err, _watching over_ him, since that allowed her and her 'ninja training' to sense him if he was within a certain range. Thirty or so feet was well within her sensor range.

So, leaping out of a window, the girls all took their natural forms and readied to fight the intruder, this time seriously.

"Ugh, how persistent!" Said Kurumu. "Get it through your hard head that we're not letting you have Tsukune!"

"The persistent ones are you!" Countered Fan-Fan. "Why are you all so against Tsukune-san becoming my subordinate? As his harem you should be pleased about it, after all, unlike japan, china allows for polygamy!"

Twitch. Blink.

Twitch, twitch, blink, blink.

"You mean you just wanted to _hire_ Tsukune-san?" Exploded Moka.

Fan-Fan nodded emphatically. "Hire, yes, that's the word! I'm chinese so my japanese isn't good. What did you think I was talking about?"

Moka and Tsukune would have made an attempt to explain to him what they had thought he meant, but they didn't get to as their attention was diverted to the rest of the Newspaper Club that was there.

Namely their whispers.

"You mean we could do that too?"

"It's not a bad idea, Tsukune would spend a few months with each, say change every week?"

"No disagreements here, polygamy is more advantageous to females after all…"

"Oh and we could even" hushed words that made those who heard them turn beet red and Tsukune get a very uncomfortable, yet pleasurable, feeling.

"I didn't even know that was possible!"

"Oh come on, think about it! If there's sixty-nine positions for couples, there's bound to be _hundreds_ for threesomes and foursomes!"

_That_ made poor Tsukune take a step back and away from the hungry looks of his friends. Even Moka, sweet and innocent Moka, seemed to actually think about it for a second before shaking herself out of her reverie. The only one left, somewhat, unaffected was Kokoa, who however _did_ realize that it wasn't Tsukune who was a pervert, but rather every girl around him that was a freaking nymphomaniac!

Yukari on the other hand had happily passed out with a nosebleed and a very weird and creepy giggle.

"W-What are you saying Kurumu-chan!" Cried out Moka, pink covering her face as she, unwillingly, thought about several things she and Tsukune would be able to do if and when they became a couple. "Such a perverted thing!"

From then on, it devolved into one of the group's usual childish fights, albeit one with a much more adult theme to it. Tsukune swore he would never be able to look at Kurumu in that same way again; despite her innocence, she was still a succubus and for a reason.

Fan-Fan however wasn't as concerned. "Don't be so irresponcible towards your harem, Tsukune-san. It is obvious they are interested in you, as you are interested in them. If you remain here, your relationship would be forbidden and all of you under great pressure. But, if you come with me, I will provide all resources needed to comfortably take care of your harem, house, money, anything you want. It's not a bad deal is it? After all, I am Wong Fan-Fan, heir to the Wong family, the greatest youkai mafia group in all of China. I can definitely take care of you."

"Mafia? You're just a criminal then. All the more reason for me to refuse. Besides, even if it's not about me, there's no way I would force my friends into the life of a criminal."

The chinese boy however only saw that as a challenge. "How headstrong and noble you are, Tsukune-san! I only want you more now, I will definitely make you mine! Ready yourself, here I come!" Youki at much larger quantities than before was brought forth, rightfully justifying Fan-Fan's claim at being an heir to a powerful family. The mystic charm glowed eerily white and the sword was raised to the sky. "Come forth, my servant!"

"Pyo?"

The low, almost cute, chirp from an orange-red little chick (as in small chicken), made everyone look not into the sky where they expected the next summon to appear, but to the ground where it really showed up.

Everyone's thoughts on the matter centered around _'What a failure…'_, except Fan-Fan of course who also cursed his weakness.

"Dammit! I'm still not strong enough to summon strong monsters in succession!" Not to mention he could barely fight now, his youki exhausted.

Deciding to leave the self-hating, monologuing, boy alone, Tsukune turned back to where he had dropped his bag… only to find that the pictures he and Moka had processed had fallen into the mud, becoming useless.

Ignoring Fan-Fan's sulking yet again, the group decided to break up, surely if that winged serpent was the strongest beast in the summoner's arsenal, they had nothing to fear, right? So, once again, Moka and Tsukune went back to the dark room to re-process the photos while the rest of the club went back to their room, still talking about the advantages of polygamy.

Some of the things Kurumu came up with were _not_ for mortal ears.

When Fan-Fan came back from his sulken mumbles, he realized he had been left alone… again.

"Dammit! They all got away while I was distracted! I need, I need him! I need Tsukune-san to become my subordinate, even if I have to use force! If I can't have him, if he does not become my subordinate…"

An eerie, powerful voice boomed inside his head. _"If that is your wish, I will grant it to thee."_

Belatedly did Fan-Fan realize that 'Pyotan', the little bird he had summoned, had picked up the paper charm and eaten it.

Then, seconds later, flames erupted from the bird and grew in size and power.

When Moka and Tsukune got out of the photograph developing room, they certainly did not expect to see a bird-shaped inferno tumbling towards them, Fan-Fan's figure running towards them, or perhaps away from it.

"Tsukune-saaaan! Run for your life!" He screamed at the pair and so they did.

But the bird of fire, identified as a Phoenix, the bird of rebirth and flames, that which burned hotter than the hottest flames, immortal and an S-rank monster on a level equal to a Vampire of Moka's level, was not just big, but also fast. Also, it could fly, which granted great maneuvrability.

"_You are Tsukune, the man I am to destroy? Then stand still, insect, and burn in my flames!"_

Its disembodied voice was followed by a torrent of flames that spewed forth from its beak, incinerating all in its path and making the three students run even faster.

Unfortunately, Moka wasn't nearly as athletic as her Inner and couldn't run as well or as gracefully as she. A small stone she didn't notice in time caught her foot and she fell.

Seeing one of its prey on the ground, the phoenix moved in for the kill. _"Perish in my flames, insect!"_ And it dove, lethal beak first, onto the downed girl.

Fan-Fan shielded his eyes from the explosion of fire and debris, blinded momentarily. Once he could see again, he noticed that Tsukune was not next to him, as he had expected.

No, he was in front of him, grabbing the phoenix's beak with both hands and stopping it dead.

'_W-what? He… he stopped it? A phoenix's head-on body tackle? Unbelievable!'_

However Tsukune was not finished. His body shifted in size and his muscles grew in size just as his vampiric youki surged outwards. It hurt, it hurt terribly, it felt like his every muscle wanted to contract and relax at the same time, but he bore the pain. He had felt worse than that before anyway.

The Phoenix was very surprised to see its charge stopped, but that did not compare to the feeling of surprise it got when it felt itself being lifted higher by one of the 'insects' it was hunting.

With the flaming bird safely grabbed in his hands and held over head, Tsukune twisted his waist and… promptly slammed it on the ground, violently.

"Don't" Slam. "you" Smash. "Dare" Crash. "Hurt" Slam "Moka-san!" Smash!

Finally letting go of the beak from the stunned and hurting bird, Tsukune reared his hand back and promptly smashed his fist right between it's eyes, his full strength behind the blow.

The poor phoenix stopped flying after it had gone through a couple of walls, painfully twitching on the ground. _"H-hai… I won't do it again… I promise…"_ The charm that had kept it bound to that place rolled out of its mouth and caught on fire, mercifully releasing it back to its home.

Both sides of Moka were gawking at the panting form of Tsukune, knowing that his sweat had come from the flames rather than being tired and that he was panting from trying to reel in his fury.

'_He… he defeated it? An S-class Phoenix? Even if it was a child and a hundred years too early to defeat _me_, it should still be well beyond Tsukune! He… he is growing at an alarming rate. His vampiric powers, while not my equal, are nothing to scoff at and with his demonic form he could rival even _me_! I… What should I do?'_ Poor Inner Moka was having a conundrum. Every time he got stronger, every time his blood became tastier, every time he did something to surprise her, it only made her to want him more and yet at the same time have to push him away from her even more.

So what should, could, she do? She had 'killed' him once already, through the form of that doppelganger murderer. She had insulted him, back at the Mononoke Arcade. She had done _everything_ she could to push him away and he just kept on coming back to her!

If it wasn't so forbidden to be with him, he would have been the catch of a lifetime, his devotion and dedication to her would have made him not just boyfriend nor mate, but _blood-mate_ material.

And yet he was just outside her reach. Not just because he was a human, not just because of her pride, she knew, even if she never admitted it, that he could crush it at some point. She was also scared for him. As a pure-blood, a Shinso, a prodigal vampire, heir to the strongest Dark Lord, a noble amongst nobles, there were several things forbidden to her. Loving a 'plebian', a 'commoner', was among them. Because if she did, not only would she be punished, but also he would be executed.

Not wanting to think about it any longer, Inner Moka willingly gave in to the Rosario's lullaby and tried to sleep it all away. And yet even in her dreams he haunted her.

Outer Moka, while not burdened by such things as her Inner, after all she seriously believed true love could conquer all, was still conflicted. She liked him, she knew she did. She also knew he loved her, something that never stopped making her blush every time he remembered it. But, did she _love_ him. Did she _really_ love him? Or, was it just his exquisite blood, making her feel things that weren't real? Was it his bravery and kindness, mixed with just the right amount of ruthlessness to make him a perfect combination, that made him so enticing?

And, leaving her alone, what about Inner? Could she accept him? Even if Ura didn't love him, would she accept him to at least be with her, her 'Omote'?

And then there were her friends. They all liked him, even loved him. And they all deserved him. So, if she went after him, forbidden though it might be, she would take him away from people who really loved him and he loved as well. So, what should she do? Give him to Kurumu and Mizore or try to keep him for herself? Did she not deserve to be selfish some times?

Fan-Fan wanted to think about many things, but he didn't get the chance. Immidiately after making sure the summon was out of the fight and Moka was unharmed, Tsukune stomped his way to the transfer student, his form back to a human's with only his youki having an indication to him being far from normal.

Crimson-orange eyes, bloodshot and furious with a black slit pupil, bore into Fan-Fan's own eyes as he was held up high in the air with a strangling grasp in his neck.

"Why do you go after me so much? Why shouldn't I end your pathetic life for hurting Moka-san, you _worm_! Speak or I will destroy you!"

Fan-Fan coughed a bit, trying to get air into his lungs despite the grip. Staring into Tsukune's eyes felt like staring into Hell. Slowly, he managed to speak. "Fairy Tail…" He coughed a bit when his throat was constricted harder. "Destroy… Fairy Tail…"

Tsukune struggled for a second. To kill him for trying to hurt Moka-san or to let him live and gain an ally against his greatest enemy?

It was the knowledge that Fairy Tail would come after his precious friends anyway that helped him restrain himself. Letting the boy fall, Tsukune didn't let up his glare. "Speak."

Fan-Fan heaved a bit before looking up and speaking. "Fairy Tail… you are a well-known enemy of that organization. What you don't know is that we, my family, is also an enemy of it. That's why I came here in the first place. To look for promising allies against them, allies that would help us defeat them. And I have found you Tsukune, strong and reliable, loyal, noble and an enemy of that damned group. That is why I wanted you to be my underling. With your power added to my family, we would be one large step closer to victory."

"Get up." Tsukune commanded and turned away towards Moka, helping her up gently and looking at her leg to see if she had sprained her ankle. "We're going to the Headmaster, now. If you lie, I can assure you that you will beg for a merciful death by the time I'm done with you." His eyes held a promise of that threat, but otherwise had reverted to his own chocolate brown that Moka had come to like.

Speaking of who, seeing as how she winced when she put her left leg down, Tsukune lifted her up in his arms and against his chest. Moka only had time to 'meep' before realizing that it really was very comfortable there.

'_**Focus Omote!Tell him to put us down!'**_ At Outer's silent question as to why, Inner struggled a second with words until finding a good reason. _**'Because it's demeaning! It's embarassing! Have you no shame? You are a Vampire, act the part!'**_

'_Aww, but it's really comfortable here!'_ Disagreed Outer, unconsciously snuggling into Tsukune's chest. _'Are you, perhaps, shy Ura-chan?'_

Omote's tease was _not_ appreciated, for it struck deeper than Ura was willing to admit. _**'N-No! Definitely not! But it's embarassing! What will the school say! What about your pride! Hey, listen to me Omote!'**_ Moka's Inner side almost had an apoplexy when she realized that she was being ignored for favour of inhaling Tsukune's scent.

Which, predictably, led to Outer loosing what little control she had over her thirst for blood and promptly giving Tsukune a bite to drink his blood.

Unfortunately, the way she twisted in his arms, the moans she released when his blood touched her lips and the ways she wiggled in his grasp, made things hellish for Tsukune. Containing his bestial growl and instinctive will to push the pink-haired girl on a nearby wall and proceeding to ravish her neck and the rest of her body was all he could do.

After having tasted of Moka's blood, even if it was cold and on Kamiya's blade-like feathers, Tsukune had had an even harder time containing his urges. Now the scent of her hair, the feel of her creamy skin on his own, her lips and fangs on his neck, the slight moans coming from her throat, her hands that gripped his back in a soft-hard grasp, the weight in his own hands…

Gods, had she no idea what she was doing to him? His mind already inside the gutter after Kurumu's proclamation about multi-somes and sex, his own puberty and being able to touch Moka so intimately… Not to mention his very, _very_ active Inner Demon trying to spur him into action…

Focusing on Fan-Fan and the attack against Moka was the only way he could control himself, and even that was not enough to hold on forever.

Thankfully, it _did_ last until they reached the Headmaster or Moka would not be moaning, but screaming in pleasure if Tsukune had any say in things.

Going through the now-familiar large wooden doors, after asking Ruby to get the rest of the Newspaper Club there, Tsukune saw the Headmaster far too soon for his liking. He still couldn't shake the feeling that there was a lot the white-robed man wasn't sharing with him, and that infuriated the Akuchi.

"**What brings you to my office this time Tsukune-kun? With someone not of your usual company at that."**

"This is Wong Fan-Fan, heir to the Wong family, the largest youkai mafia clan in China. He has a few things to share with us." With Moka now off his hands, Tsukune sighed in relief, and not because her weight was no longer in his hands. It was because it became much easier to control himself without her warm body over his. That and he could listen to one of the songs Sun-senpai had composed for him, one to let him better control his 'other' urges. She was wonderfully considerate in that way.

Fan-Fan however didn't act as expected. Instead, he bowed respectfully towards the Headmaster and looked him in the eye. "Mikogami-sama, I am very pleased to make your acquaintance. My grandfather, Touhou Fuuhai, would like to send you his best wishes. He has also given me a scroll to be given to you, but it is in my dormitory. I shall have it delivered at your earliest convenience."

"You… know the Headmaster?" Asked Tsukune, just in time to see his friends enter the office and close the doors behind them.

"Of course." Replied Fan-Fan. "After all, Mikogami Tenmei-sama is one of the three Dark Lords. My grandfather, Touhou Fuuhai, is also one of them. It is only natural I would be informed of some things, were I to ever see one of the other Dark Lords. It would be unwise to insult one of them, right?"

The exorcist however waved it off, much more relaxed about protocol than he used to be in his youth. **"Worry not about such trivialities Wong Fan-Fan-kun. Now, I believe you have something to share with us all?"** He prompted.

Fan-Fan sat down on a chair, one leg crossed over the other and looking every bit as noble as he had been taught to act. And much more confident than he was really feeling. "Of course. It is about Fairy Tail. As you know, my family is the largest mafia clan in China. We command a very large area and have excellent control. Only one other family rivals us, but we are still stronger than them. Or were. However, our beliefs as to humans are different. My clan believes that we should let humans be, each to his own world, except when business forces us to mix, in which case we act honorably."

Then he sighed as he looked down. "However, not everyone respects that belief, fully convinced that humans are unworthy weaklings and nothing more than slaves or food. We have fought for dominance for a long time and we were winning, no small in part thanks to my grandfather being a master of youkai magic, the Black Arts and Sealing in particular. However, recently, our rival clan began picking up in power. We found the secret behind it. Fairy Tail has allied with them and now overpower us. That is why we are all looking for new, strong and dependable allies that would help us fight. That is why I wanted Tsukune-san to become my subordinate. That way, I would have earned my family's respect as well as a great asset in the fight, especially since Tsukune-san is a well-known adversary of the cursed Fairy Tail…"

Fan-Fan's explanations of his motives took many minutes to conclude, seeing as how he had to answer to dozens of questions. In the end however, Tsukune accepted to help the Wang family but without becoming their subordinate. He would be no one's slave, especially since that would also mean dragging his friends with him.

A day later, Moka, released of her Rosario, stood before Tsukune in Paradise. The pair's youki was more than enough to keep predators away.

The vampiress sighed, she had tried to deny training with him, but she could do so no longer. **"Tsukune, let me clarify something. I am **_**not**_** going to train you. I cannot. You fight too chaotically, too much like a street fighter. Had I began teaching you earlier, I would have changed that, but now it's too late. Nor can I teach you about being a vampire, that is something you will have to experience for yourself."** Her youki surged outwards, surrounding her in a crimson halo of power. **"However, I **_**can**_** fight you. I can spar with you until you correct yourself. I can grant you experience in combat far harsher than anything you have faced until now. I will not hold back for you though. I will not be nice. I will be harsh and demand you to fight at your best. If you do not give your all… you will die by my hand. Do you accept this Tsukune?"**

The male looked at her determined. He was sad he couldn't learn to fight like her, she was poetry in motion after all. But, he could still be next to her, getting stronger. He could still be usefull, if just a bit more. He nodded and his youki turned into vampiric strength as he readied himself.

A kick penetrated his defence and he was sent tumbling back but quickly righted himself before charging in retaliation.

In the school however, Fan-Fan looked outside a window, a small grin on his face. If he couldn't have Tsukune on his own, he could ask for help. He had seen how strong the Aono guy was and he knew they needed him. If he couldn't do it alone, then he would do it with help. "Hehehe, I wonder what scheme Sister will cook up…"

Elsewhere, Shuzen Akuha looked bored at her talker. A large man with wild brown hair and an even wilder face.

"What are we going to do about that damn Mikogami, huh Akuha? Just a couple of days ago, we lost Kanae. He was a weak pansy-ass, but he was useful! We lost all contact with his branch even! No matter what we stand to gain, there is a limit to gambling!"

The vampiress glared at him icily, her sick and twisted youki swirling around her and reminding him to watch himself before her. "Be silent. All is according to plan. A hundred or two weaklings gone is well within the calculated margins. Besides my foolish sister, who _will_ join us soon, believe me, there is much to gain from acquiring the boy. He will be ours and trust me he will be way stronger than all of you together. To that end, I would not hesitate to sacrifice you all, understand? Know your place you pathetic fools and at least serve your purpose well. Our plan will wait for nothing, not even you."

The dozen or so branch leaders shuddered. Her coldness, her insanity, the sheer _wrongness_ of her presence reminded them why she was the leader of Fairy Tail's leaders.

Shuzen Akuha looked at her lap where a gun was placed. It had a single shot in it, made to be used only once. In it, a bullet like no other. It was tipped with a pulsating, glowing black-red crystal.

She smiled.

Soon, soon all would come into place.

Her giggle was insanity and her laughter madness. Her existence was vile darkness that corrupted all it touched.

She was Shuzen Akuha and all was going according to her calculations.

**A/N: The Author nearly died of hysteric laughter at Fan-Fan's introduction. Poor Tsukune, with his mind in the gutter 24/7 and Fan-Fan's verbal acrobatics… Please note that Fan-Fan isn't gay, he's just new to japanese and he still thinks in chinese, which means that when he translates word-by-word as opposed to thought-by-thought, hilarity ensues.**

**Also, some of you might have noticed but most probably haven't; I have replaced the previous chapter, 18. Not all of it is changed, but a good part of it is and now is more according to how I want the story to unfold. Please read it again and tell me what you think. I believed it improved, but unfortunately I cannot say for sure. At least now I managed to get a laptop inside the Army camp, letting me write for about a coupole of hours each week. Not much, but hey, it's better than nothing.**

**Please read and review, tell me what you think or if I should clarify something.  
**

* * *

**Today, on this 9/6/2012, I, Soulblazer87, do hereby leave this site, possibly forever.**

**I shall not update this, or any other story.**

**I shall leave them on, however. Should you desire to follow my stories, do so in my new site of residence: www dot yourfanfiction dot com.**


	20. A Festival And A Rosario

_A Festival And A Rosario_

Tsukune groaned as he rubbed his right shoulder, feeling stiff and tired.

It had been two weeks since he and Moka started training and boy was it harsh. The vampiress was not joking when she said that she wouldn't hold back. Bruised and broken ribs were commonplace now and he was glad he had gained such a good healing factor, he was sure that without it, she would have snapped his spine accidentaly.

But Tsukune's exhaustion wasn't limited to that alone. A large festival was coming up and, as leader of the Student Council Committee, he was of course expected to organize everything. Something much harder than it sounds.

Between the unavoidable school hours, the endless paperwork needed to organize the festival and Moka's training, he sometimes wished he could split himself in many parts. Have one for each job, he felt he was being torn inside, fortunately only figuratively.

Of course it wasn't just he who trained, Mizore and Kurumu also trained constantly with Moka while he trained to increase his control over his youki. And even though the vampiress held back significantly against the duet, he could see that they too were growing, both separated and united. He knew that even Kokoa was training for the inevitable confrontation with Fairy Tale, but he didn't know where, just that she vanished for a few hours each day, returning battered and bruised but with a pleased smirk on her.

"Aww, are you in pain Tsukune-kun?" Kurumu's low, teasing voice came from right behind his left ear only a second before she pressed her entire, voluptuous, body on his back, her hands roving all over his chest, thankfully over his shirt. "I could always… take away the edge… if you'd just let me…" Her whispers, the tone of her voice, her breath on his back, the slow bobbing motions of her body telling him that her true form was revealed… "I'm _veerry_ good with massages…" Her voice was a seductive purr. "I could make you relax… just give me the word and I'll do it for you… I'll do _anything_ for you…"

Poor Tsukune couldn't restrain the way his body shuddered, she was sensuality personified and gods knew nothing could hold a candle to her when it came to carnal seduction.

Or maybe some could. Some like Mizore, who chose to drape herself on his right side.

"Hush, you…" It might have been snappish but certainly didn't sound like it. "Tsukune, you are burning up, I shall cool you down with my own techniques." She was right, he was burning up, but not of a sickness or physical workout. More closely related to a full-body blush. "There's so much I can show you, so much I can teach you… How to let the cool, pure winds of the mountains take away your stress, like this…" Then her hands had turned into frozen claws and her breath became wisps of cold that caressed his flamed skin like a refreshing breeze, cold but just so it was perfect to relieve the fire coursing under his skin.

Admittedly, relieving that fire and dowsing it are two quite different things as the poor boy found out when the frozen girl's hands began roving around his body in the same manner as the vision of sexuality that hovered over him.

It would forever be a testament to the strength of his will that he didn't snap at that moment.

Or of his eternally bad luck as Inner Moka stepped into the clearing, whip tied around her leg.

And she looked more than a little bit annoyed. In fact, hadn't he known better, she even looked jealous, as in angry-jealous.

"Tsukune, get up. Your break's over. Back to sparring." She said and her partner had the urge to gulp. For some reason he thought that particular spar was going to be tough.

He had _no idea_…

A couple of hours later, a thoroughly beaten and battered Tsukune groaned from his place in a crater at the side of a mountain. Twenty feet _in_ the side of the mountain.

"Hey Moka! That's too much, don't you think! What are you trying to prove?" Kurumu raged, flying in front of the huffing vampire

Of course, Mizore was very quick to support her duet partner, though unlike the succubus, she did it while prying Tsukune off his crater. "She's right you know. Are you trying to prove something? No matter how you see it, this time you went too far, he didn't even manage to raise a defence after the first thirty minutes." There was accusation in those aquamarine eyes.

Inner Moka almost cringed, it was true. She had torn his defence apart in the first half-hour and then just wailed away at him. She couldn't help it, the way he had looked so darn _comfortable_ with those two _draped all over_ him! "Nonesense." She countered. "He has to learn to take a blow or a dozen. An enemy won't hold back to give him time to bring up his defences."

'_Though you hit him considerably more times than a dozen!'_ Kurumu thought and was quick to put it to words, but Tsukune was faster.

"S-She's right." He coughed a bit, waiting for his regeneration to fix his diaphragm. It wasn't ruptured, thankfully, but it hurt like hell when he did more than breathe shallowly. "I have to endure this. Kamiya wouldn't have stopped and there may be stronger enemies waiting for us. I have to learn to take this punishment and still fight back. If I can do that, I'm sure I'll be able to take on any enemy."

Moka had been all but ready to smack him at first, believing that he thought she was weak and he had to be able to endure at least as much as she could dish out at him. Then, she realized that he thought her stronger than most of their enemies, so if he could take on all she had, he would definitely be able to stand up to anyone. Her spirits did rise after she realized that, but they fell again once she realized that, for all his tries and hard work, he would never be more than a Ghoul, a former human.

He would never be able to change his Fate.

"**As interesting as it may be to watch over your interactions, I'm afraid that your time here is over for now. You all have your jobs to attend to and Tsukune-san won't be in a condition to fight until tomorrow. Now off you go, I believe Fan-Fan-san is actually looking everywhere for you. Another attempt to beat you into joining him perhaps?"** The Headmaster spoke out of nowhere, appearing from behind a tree. Predictably enough that caused everyone to jump up in surprise, not even Moka had sensed him.

Ruby, the group's makeshift nurse and medic quickly bowed to her 'Master', hoping her skimpy nurse's outfit didn't give everyone a view of her privates. Or perhaps that's exactly what she wanted. "Master! Very well I shall take them back. Now, Yukari-chan, remember what I told you alright? You waste too much energy in your spells, use that trick to see if it makes your control more efficient alright?" Apart from making sure the entire group came back in one piece each, she had also taken to tutoring the youngest witch. The child might have been a genius, but Ruby was several times more experienced than her and knew enough tricks of the 'trade' to place her well beyond Yukari's dreams. Sometimes having an insane Master teaching you could lead to immense power.

Or it could lead to a loss of your mind, Ruby herself could even tell she wasn't normal, possibly a side effect of her insane 'Mistress'. Then again, it wasn't like she minded any. She was who she was, not who she was not. Such existential issues are for others.

Gathering their effects, bottles of water, fuutons, medical supplies and the wrappings from Kurumu's cookies (said cookies having been demolished within moments of their appearance), the group quickly returned to the Academy where their lives were completely controlled, but not _in _control.

Afternoon classes followed and then club activities. After that Tsukune fell off the face of the earth to perform the rest of his duties, leaving four, or five, girls to look at each other.

They all had things they wanted to tell each other. Kurumu could have said that she didn't mind sharing, she already saw the others as more than just friends and more as 'back-up lovers' to put it in her Mother's words. Mizore could have said that she would be fine if she only saw Tsukune once in a while, yuki-onna were always able to deal with less than the complete attention of a lover, knowing that not everyone could handle their icy environment or stoic personalities. Moka could have even said that she didn't care if either of her friends took Tsukune.

But they didn't. Kurumu _did_ mind sharing, she was a possessive girl, having wanted to meet her Destined One for so long, having him just outside her reach for even longer, she wanted his full, complete, undivided attention, the rest of the world be damned.

Mizore would _not_ be fine if she only saw Tsukune once in a while, she wanted to see him every minute of every hour of every day, in his cold-warm embrace, raising their children and making love every night.

Moka certainly _did_ care if either of her friends got Tsukune. She wanted him for herself, maybe it was selfish but that's what she felt. It went beyond her thirst for his blood, beyond her physical attraction, beyond the way he seemed to grow up every day.

They all wanted him for themselves and they all knew it. They were the best of friends but they were still mere children. Teenagers, far from adults.

Far from realizing how precious time really is. How no amount of time would ever be enough. How no emotion could be caged.

How that even a single moment with the one they had fallen in love with was worth innumerable years without him.

They had known none but peace. All the world was theirs, all their dreams were coming to life.

The world was their oyster as the saying went.

So the Festival seemed like a good time to relax and joke around. A re-affirmation of 'Love and Peace' as a popular cartoon said.

Which was exactly why they were caught so unprepared when Wong Fan-Fan introduced them to his sister.

Speaking of the chinese boy, he had been mostly accepted into the group. It had taken an apology from the boy but they had managed to get one from Tsukune as well. The Akuchi had mostly been angered by Fan-Fan's lack of responcibility, summoning a dangerous monster he had no idea of control over and letting it loose in the school. The last time that happened, the entire school had closed for six months and his friends had been in grave danger. This time it had been 'only' Moka, but that didn't make it any lighter a threat.

In the end, the effeminate boy decided to keep challenging Tsukune for submission, but refrained from summoning any unknown monsters and kept a closer vigilance over his summoning tags. Yukari suspected that the challenges were more a way to affirm his rivalry as well as sharpen his summoning skills rather than come from a belief of victory.

Meeting the female Wong was… eventfull. For starters she wore the wierdest clothes, seemed to be a large full-length skirt and a large overcoat lined with mystic tags.

Then, there was the fact… that she was dead.

"Hmm… I wouldn't mind fighting Tsukune-san to the end" She had said. "After all, I'm dead." Which she proved by _removing her head from her shoulders_!

That had definitely been an 'eeew' moment for the girls and even Tsukune had a hard time restraining his shudder of disgust. At least he had suffered worse at the hands of his Inner Demon, which had been mercifully silent since he received Sun's musical aid.

Now he only had to blame himself for his violent or lustfull urges. Urges that his oh-so-kind friends did nothing to relieve, they caused them in the first place.

Ling-Ling's introduction was a peculiar one even beyond its morbidity. The chinese girl, who repeatedly stated that no one knew how old she was 'because, you know, she's dead', also notified them that her family _would_ acquire them.

It was only Fan-Fan's interruption in correcting his sister as to how not to refer to Tsukune's friends as items that saved her from being killed, for good this time.

"Oh, so you're having a Festival? At this time of year?" Wondered Ling-Ling, looking at all the students setting up the various decorations.

"Yes, a Sports Festival. To reunite us all under a font of peace. As well as give a chance for everyone to let out some steam. Tensions have been rising between clubs and groups, something like that is going to help them get over their differences, hopefully anyway." Said Tsukune before having to leave the group to correct some students who were making a mess of a stand.

Kurumu sighed and went to help him, for all his skill and almost dreamy-ness, Tsukune had _no_ idea on fashion. A woman's hand was necessary to make sure everything fit together, so the petite succubus took it on herself to help lighten the load by helping him re-arrange everything to match and fit.

Meanwhile Mizore and Moka weren't having a good time. With Yukari off to Ruby's to help, they were the only two left to guide and entertain the Wongs, though also to prevent them from going after Tsukune, again.

Mizore had actually taken it upon herself to go on 'bodyguard duty', watching the two chinese monsters constantly so they didn't threaten her 'husband'.

So Moka was left to keep company to a guy who had 'wanted to have' Tsukune and his 'already dead' sister, both of which being mafia members and obviously unconcerned with whatever they were going to use to get their way. Moka was _not_ amused. But, she was a kind, sunny person, so she drew up on her reserves of happiness and goodwill and did her best to keep the Wongs occupied.

Unfortunately it didn't work out. Not only did Fan-Fan and Ling-Ling have one-track minds, especially when it came to recruiting, but they were also extremely competitive. As a result, when they found out that there would be sports competitions... "It is fate, Moka-san!" Fan-Fan had cried out. "You are all on the 'white team' for this festival. Then! We shall enter the 'red team'! We shall fight and if we win then Tsukune-san will become our subordinate!"

Of course Moka had denied it. "What are you talking about Fan-Fan-san! Sports are not fights! Besides, we know that Tsukune-san would never become your subordinate." She gave him a serious look, attempting to look threatening. "You know how strong he is. You fought him before. Do you really think he would allow it?"

But Fan-Fan wouldn't listen, he wasn't used to doing so anyway. "Nonesense! Competitions are like fighting. We and you shall fight under the shade of the Sports Festival! Besides, now my sister is here. My victory is guaranteed! Now then! Let us prepare for our glorious fight!" And he was off, presumably to train for it.

Moka blinked at Fan-Fan's retreating form, the boy was entirely too energetic to be legal, he was even worse than _Kokoa_'s clingy-state. Turning to the side she saw that Ling-Ling had only began walking after her little brother, clearly disinterested in keeping up with his speed.

"Know this Akashiya Moka-san..." The chinese moving corpse, or kyonshii as was the proper term, said. "My brother _will_ have what he desires. I _never_ fail my missions. Good luck, you and your friends will soon belong to the Wong family."

Feeling every bit as having failed Tsukune as well as frustrated at the pair's stubborn insistence, Moka turned back, leaving Mizore to spy on the chinese ayashi. Even Inner Moka was annoyed and not for just their arrogance at thinking they could beat her or Tsukune, but also because their childishness was going to limit her training with the boy even more. The silver-haired girl didn't even realize that she thought Tsukune at being of a level equal to her or that she didn't really hate training with him all that much any more. She could have found an endless stream of reasons for it, but she never bothered.

Still, the pink-haired girl had to tell Tsukune the news, as aggravating as they might be. It really was hopelessly funny how Tsukune began smashing his head on his desk and muttering curses about clingy children not leaving him alone and how the Headmaster must have planned for all this crap.

"Ugh, nothing we can do about it now... Guess we'll have to 'fight' them once again. Geeze, don't these people have anything better to do with their lives? Seriously, it's getting annoying!" He grumbled as he worked under Moka's sympathetic eyes. Even though Kurumu and Yukari had taken off a large load off his shoulders, there were still several things that had to be managed and none of the student council had stepped up; they had all apparently seen him as some sort of living switchblade; he could do anything, any time and he could do it well. So why waste their own time doing what he would do?

At least Ruby was dependable in many areas, he could easily use her, she even _begged_ him to order her around. He had to be extra careful not to give her any work that had to do with decorations or clothing however. Who knew what the masochistic witch would come up with?

Somewhere else Ruby giggled as she caressed her new 'dress'. Poor Tsukune was going to have a heart attack. Preferably from all his blood being redirected in a much lower part of his body.

Ignoring the shivers of ill fortune, Tsukune kept working until he was done before laying back on his chair to relax. When two soft hands landed on his shoulders and began kneading his pains away he sighed deeply.

"It's alright to be tired Tsukune-san. Me and Ura-chan understand that this must be very hard for you, juggling everything. So, please, let us help you Tsukune-san. Don't push your friends away. We _want_ to help you..." She had kept her tone soft and caring. She was worried for him, she who had known him more than anyone in that school. She still didn't understand him completely, but she did understand a bit. She knew what he was doing, pushing them away while keeping them at arm's reach, always there to protect them but never there to _be protected_ by them.

He was so annoyingly brave sometimes, trying to shoulder everything on his own. But it was still a Tsukune thing to do. Something she liked about him and, even though Ura scoffed at his kind heart, she also knew that her Inner liked it as well. She had remained silent after all.

Tsukune however shrugged. "I know Moka-san... I know but everything here is administrative stuff. Even if I wanted to, you are not the official Public Committee Leader..." He tried to focus things on his paperwork but both of them were well aware that Moka meant all _but_ that. Yet he was too scared to venture in that area.

Moka sighed but accepted his choice. Besides, even though he didn't say it, she did feel his muscles and even youki relax when she offered him her support. It was what he needed, support and caring. Her hands kept working on his muscles, relaxing him, unknowingly bring them closer together in a physical way, with Moka leaning over Tsukune to get to the hard to reach places while he seemed to lean back into her warmth.

Which of course means that this is exactly the moment Kurumu chose to interrupt them. "Geeze Tsukune, there I was working my ass off and you receive a massage from Moka. You could at least have asked _me_ for it!" Her tone wasn't that annoyed or frustrating, more amused or teasing if he had to go by it. "I mean, as a succubus, I know things about your body you wouldn't even _imagine_. And the things I could _do_ to your body? Those you _want_ to imagine. Or maybe _more _than imagine hmm?" True to her words, the petite succubus worked magic on his right hand, so tortured by signing and writing endlesss amounts of paper.

Predictably, Mizore showed up at that moment too, though as always in an unpredictable way, this time coming in from a window, even staying perched there for a second as a ninja before hopping off soundlessly. "I leave you two alone for five minutes and again you go seducing my husband." She began walking towards the seated male before leaning into his face way too close for comfort, much to his embarassement and the ire of the other two girls. "Everyone knows that a cool refreshment is the best medicine to fatigue. Taking into account your preferences and current body heat, I made you some orange juice, maintained in a perfectly uniform temperature. It should rejuvenate you enough to come to my room and give me my children."

"Mizore-chan!/Mizore!" The other two exploded, finally at their limits with the yuki-onna. "How can you say such things! Have you no respect for Tsukune-san!" Moka had said. "How dare you try to seduce my Destined One, in front of me no less!"

The snow-girl just looked at them victoriously as if just annoying them was more than enough. But just as the three got ready to fight...

"Could you girls please not fight? I really hate it when you do..." Tsukune's weak and pleading voice made them stop and reconsider.

_'Truce... for now'_ Their eyes said to each other, glaring lightning bolts, daggers and various other dangerous elements at each other before going back to pampering Tsukune, innocent smiles on their angelic faces.

Tsukune for his part just sighed in relief when the tension was reeled back, he knew it wouldn't go away despite his greatest efforts, and further relaxed into the girls' treatments. He knew he was unworthy of them but he was so... so very _tired_. He wanted, just once, to indulge.

He didn't even realize it when his breathing shallowed out and he dozed off to sleep. The girls however did. Moka's hands stopped massaging his shoulders, but they stayed there. Kurumu's fingers stopped relieving the soreness in his arms and merely lightly drew random designs on his body. Mizore just kept on looking at him while keeping the room's temperature at a comfortable cool.

And at that moment all of those girls wanted just one thing. That their friend be as relaxed with them as he was at that moment, every day. That he be with them every day. That he would finally find his peace.

It was hours later when Tsukune awoke to find his body and mind refreshed. Surprisingly enough, he could feel his friends' presence near him so, when he looked for them, he found the group enjoying a batch of home-made ice-tea, courtesy of Mizore. They were talking amiccably, relaxing like good friends.

Realizing he was awake, the three teens happily invited him over to them, keeping up with their relaxing chat.

The next day was time for the Festival. Large stands had been set up, decorations in place and the school looked as lively as last year's celebrations.

Students ran around, getting ready for their respective competitions. It was also when Ling-Ling and Fan-Fan showed up, both decked out in their team's colors.

They didn't even have to speak about 'fighting' for Tsukune to run his hand down his face. They were getting on his nerves, wearing them down the way only an expert could hope to. Seeing as how they left him absolutely no choice, he decided that, what the hell, if you can't beat them join them. Of course, that just meant that he would accept their conditions to fighting him. Along with the condition that if he and his friends, the white team, won, then the Wang family would stop trying to actively recruit him.

The first competition was running. The white team was being represented by several contestants, best of which being Kokoa. With her status as vampire, she was a natural in most sports and in fact one of the fastest students in the school, barring speed-based monsters like Gin. Thankfully, such monsters rarely if ever entered speed contests as they didn't really hold any appeal to them; they already knew they were the fastest. Besides, they were forced to perform using only their human transformations rather than their true forms or abilities.

As soon as the signal was given, the red-haired vampire instantly leapt off in a high-speed sprint, covering many feet with each long stride.

But it wasn't enough; the reanimated corpse was in front of her, using a weird jumping kind of running. Kokoa grunted before increasing her speed even further, catching up with the kyonshii.

**'BOOM!'**

Kokoa had barely any time to leap back and right herself when the explosion came only a few inches from her feet. Apparently the Wongs didn't know what fair play was.

In short it pissed her off. Instead of doing their best and accepting their failings with honor, they resorted to such petty tricks?

Very well then, kiddie gloves are off.

Leaning forward, little Kokoa all but _exploded_ with speed.

_"Remember, Kokoa."_ Her master, Sekki, had said while training her. _"The Goryuu Tenchuu is a martial _philosophy_, not a martial art. At its core, you will realize that your perception of reality alters your reaction to it. How you perceive yourself and the world around you will change how you interact, what you can and cannot do. Now, try again. You are to move while exerting the least amount of strength possible. Sense the wind around you. It flows in streams, much like the water. Find the gap between these streams and move between them."_

A deep breath and Kokoa exhaled all the wind from her body, coiling her muscles tightly. As she leaned forward, almost falling ahead, her mind was unafraid and focused. She was not falling forward. She was righting herself. The ground was not under her feet but touching her back. Her legs wound tightly, touching her stomach...

Kokoa leapt. She didn't run, she leapt. She jumped up according to what her mind said, but she was in fact making a powerful leap forward, hitting max speed in an instant. But that was only one leg. The other one was still touching her stomach so, the moment her speed began to lessen, she kicked down with her other and jumped again, just barely managing to place her first leg under her stomach.

The girl was almost parallel to the ground and her eyes locked onto her target, the finish line.

Thirty feet, leap. Twenty five feet, leap. Twenty feet, enemy at right, leap. Fifteen feet, leap and coil both legs. Ten feet, throw hands forward kick off, spinning like a top.

A red-colored blur practically tore through the finish line, mere split seconds before the second best, her arms spreading to the side in order to perform an impressive acrobatic leap and quickly come to a stop.

"Heh, how's _that_ for speed! Cheap tricks like that don't work on me!" They didn't work any_more_ to be exact, seeing as how her master had taken up beating her with all kinds of unorthodox methods in order to teach her to adapt and overcome. The Wind Dragon's Pillar was one of the hardest for her to learn, it required focus, control and _not_ expending the greatest amount of strength possible. It was foreign to her, but that was precisely why she had tried so hard to learn it. Where most S-ranked monsters were excellent at one thing, she was much better rounded now. Nowhere near her sister's level, but she should be able to at least give her a proper fight. Or would, were Moka not growing stronger and better with every fight, every time she was released.

The other contests went in a much similar way. The white team would win initially, but the red team's kyonshii would use a large amount of explosives and other various sneaky tricks to ensure their victory, even if many white team members were able to win even then. Still, it wasn't looking good for Tsukune and his friends.

That's when things took a sudden turn. The Mothers had come. Not just mothers, but _The_ _Mothers_. Shirayuki Tsurara, Mizore's mother and spy fanatic. Kurono Ageha, Kurumu's mother and possibly one of the strogest succubi alive. Sendou Fujiko, Yukari's mother and extremely powerful materialization-specialist witch.

And they were _not _pleased. Their beloved daughters, loosing to a bunch of walking corpses with an overabundance of explosives? Unacceptable!

So, they took charge of things.

Tsurara somehow managed to reveal a large sniper rifle, which she promptly placed on Tsukune's shoulder and fired away with lethal precision and undetectable bullets.

Ageha walked at the kyonshii and simply... asked them to loose on purpose. Her Charm was more than enough to turn them to putty at her hands.

Fujiko on the other hand was even sneakier. Using a single, simple straw voodoo puppet... she just brought the entire red team to its knees as they seemed to fall on the slightest stone.

But what about the rules? What happened to all these guidelines about proper conduct? Apparently, the Headmaster had been amused and decided to let it happen.

That or he might have been enjoying Ruby's handmade outfit far too much, not that he would be alone in that. Practically every male, and even more than a few females, were gawking or drooling-slash-nosebleeding at the witch's sight. She had chosen to wear a skin-tight bodysuit, long fishnet stockings, a white fluffy bunny tail and long bunny ears. It left a lot to the imagination but that didn't include how voluptuous and sensual her body was. Also, her various poses were more than a bit suggestive, almost drawing more attention to her than the festivities themselves.

She would refuse it if asked, but the witch definitely did enjoy being looked at like that. Now if only she could get Tsukune to look at her and take her to his room and bind her up and have his wicked ways with her...

But she still had her job as announcer to do, so she did as she had to and let the explosions go on. In the end, she called a break to prepare for the last competition.

Tsukune rubbed his head, trying to understand where it had all gone so horribly, horribly wrong. He had done his best to make the festival flow smoothly. Everything had been in place.

And then the Wongs came.

Then the bombs.

Why, why on earth, couldn't those two just leave him alone? It was frustrating!

So he had taken off for a walk through the woods to try and calm down. He wouldn't blow up on the Wongs, he had at least enough control over himself to not try to kill them for it, but he was still seriously annoyed.

"You should relax Tsukune-san, no one is blaming you for this..." Moka's calm voice came from behind him. She must have followed him. There was a bento box in her hands.

"I know. I know... It's just that it pisses me off! I worked so hard to promote peace throughout our school and these two people come and ruin it all! I would be impressed with their tenacity were I not so annoyed at them!" He ground out.

Moka giggled at him. He looked so cute when he was like that. "Well, at least we could share this bento. It's calm right now and that's better than nothing right? Besides, after this, they're going to leave us alone, right?"

"One can only hope Moka-san. One can only hope." But he accepted the bento.

He was almost at eating the first bite too when... a stampede of kyonshii trampled over him and Moka.

The poor meal was in tatters on the ground, smashed and crushed.

"M-my bento..." Moka whimpered. "T-the b-bento I made... t-the bento me and Ura-chan made..." Something inside the girl broke when she saw it ruined. Grabbing Tsukune's hand, she directed it at her chocker and pulled her Rosario off.

Meanwhile, the 'herd' of kyonshii had already taken place to engage the white team. Individually weaker, they had however great coordination with each other and numbered several times over than their still-living opponents.

"Go, my loyal pawns!" Cried Ling-Ling looking every bit as a war leader. "Crush our enemies completely and without a trace! Chaaarge!" She urged her minions and her younger brother, who was tasked with carrying her on his shoulders. He wasn't even allowed to complain she was heavy because, as she said she ate very little since she was, you know, already dead.

The red team charged the outnumbered white team and a war without compare broke out. Only a war that was centered around taking each other's hats rather than combat.

Then the fighting ceased as a tremendous youki fell on all combatants. Bats fluttered around and the entire world darkened.

"You..." Moka's voice was low and spiteful, her usual aristocratic tone having taken a frozen quality, barely masking her boiling fury. Needless to say, Kokoa was beyond happy at her onee-sama's awakening. "You dare challenge me?" Tsukune walked forward with Inner Moka on his shoulder. "You _dare_ destroy that bento? The very bento me and Omote worked together to make? You have the _audacity_ to do all that and still not know your place?" Now her cold veneer was gone and hate marred her usually stoic features.

Tsukune, and most boys there, would readily admit it made her no less sexy.

"I'll destroy you! Go, Tsukune!" She commanded and the boy broke off in a charge.

Seeing her chance, Ling-Ling commanded her brother to get ready as well, they would use the attack's opening, enlarged by the horde of corpses attacking the silver-haired one, in order to win a decisive victory. Poor Fan-Fan tried to disagree with his sister, he had heard much about the extremely powerful vampire and knew better than to directly oppose her, but his voice fell to deaf ears.

It became a _massacre_. Moka leapt from her perch on Tsukune's shoulders and instead balanced on them with her hands, spinning around like a top, her long legs lashing out at heads and hats alike. It was a testament to her extreme sense of balance that her own hat didn't even budge from its perch on her hair.

Poor Ling-Ling had only but a second to realize that the charge didn't leave any openings before a kick struck her head, ripped it off her body and tossed her hat away, all in one fell swoop.

It was only then that Ruby decided that enough is enough and called it a draw on grounds that everyone cheated too much. Not that this did anything to stop the fighting students; they had simply abandoned all illusions of sports or friendly competitions and simply broke out in an all-out fight.

At least until Tsukune himself had had enough of it. So, with a mighty roar and a burst of his youki, he silenced them. "**ENOUGH!** What are you all, kindergarten children? Have you no shame! You dare disgrace our school and yourselves with petty fights like that? You are all going to detention, I will _personally_ ensure you are suitably punished for this. Now **move!**" He ordered them with blazing eyes and anger rolling off his body.

Ruby had actually almost had a minature orgasm at that moment, imagining him ordering her around like that, punishing her like the bad, _bad_ girl she was...

**"Ruby-san, would you kindly lead the children away?"** The Headmaster interrupted with a smile, handing her a small napkin. **"Also you are loosing blood and fluids, cover yourself."** He pointed out, letting her realize she had been drooling with a nosebleed. The poor witch giggled emberassedly and quickly harried off.

Apologizing to the various parents that had come to see their children took time and a lot of work for Tsukune, though thankfully the Headmaster also helped him deal with it. He had to make sure to remove the stain from Youkai Gakuen's shame at having no control over its residents.

Amusingly enough, most didn't care about it all that much and simply chalked it all up to 'being teenagers, you can't expect them to act by the rules every time - let our children live freely a bit' and things like that. Truthfully, those few interested with keeping order and law didn't have anyone competing at that stage of the Festival, they had refused to join on grounds that it was too 'childish'.

Three days later, Tsukune finally managed to make time for a spar with Moka. Work had swamped him, mostly leftovers he had to deal with. They were nothing important, but they were so time-consuming and there were exams coming up, which meant that he had an increased workload from the teachers as well. Especially Kagome Liliko, that woman seemed to have it out for him, no doubt thanks to his little explosion at her when she threw things at Kurumu to wake the girl up.

At least the girls hadn't stopped their training with Moka, getting stronger and faster day by day. They even seemed closer together, though Inner Moka constantly refused to socialize with them, instead returning to her seal. It had annoyed Kurumu and Mizore, but they had come to accept Inner's choices, or social inability as it were. At least Outer Moka joined them in place of Inner.

So, when Tsukune finally managed to get to the Monster's Paradise, he was in for a big surprise. Surrounded by his friends was Gin, the werewolf.

A possessive part of him wanted the shapeshifter gone and away from his friends. He was a pervert, who knew what he would do to them?

Thankfully, he was able to quench that desire. "Gin-senpai, what are you doing here?" He asked curiously.

"Heh, I'm here ta kick your ass, Tsukune! Moka-chan asked me to help her beat you up!" He certainly seemed rather happy for it.

Moka however wasn't. "Stop with your rambling wolf. We are both to fight Tsukune, he needs to learn to deal with more than one opponents at a time."

Kurumu and Mizore glared at Moka while Yukari and Ruby looked worried. Kokoa however was mostly smirking for an unknown reason. As for Tsukune? He was not feeling very sure of himself. "A-Are you sure Moka-san? I mean you can beat me pretty soundly. Adding Gin-senpai to the mix... I can't possibly take on _two_ S-class monsters at the same time, I doubt I'd ever have to face more than one at the same time anyway!"

The silver-haired vampire glared at him. He was still so naive. "Don't be so naive Tsukune. You have to learn to fight against an S-class monster. Against two S-class monsters. Against a dozen of them if need be." Despite assuring herself of her intention at only making him strong, she also knew deep down that she wanted him to beat a certain dozen S-class monsters. A ruling council. Rulers she wanted him to face, only for her, and beat them. Beat them and gain the right, the right to... "Now get ready, neither I nor Gin will hold back."

The fighting was _brutal_. True to her words, Moka threw everything she had at Tsukune and so did Gin. Faced with Moka's unstoppable speed and Gin's unbelivable speed, Tsukune was forced to defend only in an effort to save himself great physical harm.

Blocking and parrying, hopping back and ducking under, Tsukune was forced to his limits. He didn't even look at Gin, counting on his instincts to guide him through, his youki sensor telling him where everyone was much more accurately than his eyes could. Then, a chance. Gin overextended his blow, getting in Moka's way. That stopped their assault for an instant. It was all he needed. Tsukune's knee rose from the ground and connected solidly with Gin's gut, the full power of his vampiric blood behind it as he had been sure the werewolf would have dodged. Instead Gin was flung away like a rag doll.

Still, his combat high didn't relinquish its hold on Tsukune and he kept on fighting, despite Moka's stunned state. The vampiress didn't get the time to fight back as he leapt on her and brought her to the ground, pinning her hands over her head and straddling her waist.

Both panted wildly, having fought for several minutes. Moka's silver hair were spread out on the ground beneath her like silver threads. Her skin glistened with perspiration. Over her, leaning down towards her was Tsukune, his eyes a blood-red color and enlarged canines protruding a little bit. His shirt had been torn throughout the fight, revealing his muscled and scarred chest, an X-like scar just over his heart.

Leaning closer together was subconscious.

Wiggling weakly underneath him until it somehow felt _comfortable_ under him was done without realization. Weak struggles to release his hold on her hands stopped at no conscious command.

Their breaths mingled together, so close they could smell each other clearly, even without their enhanced senses. Close enough for her to count the light stubble of his puberty. Close enough for him to loose himself ni her bright red, slitted eyes.

Just a few centimeters. So close.

So close to having it all.

So close, so _close to Heaven_...

Tsukune realized what he was doing, staring at her, at the pulsating veins beneath her skin, at the perfect, alabaster skin, at the magnetic eyes that seemed to swallow whole every bit of self-restraint he had. At that light, crimson flush on the silvered beauty's face, the look in her face that screamed of _want_ and _desire_ to him.

Pulling back from her was the single hardest thing he had ever done.

Regaining his conscious mind made him curse himself a hundred times over.

They both got up wordlessly, staring at each other, looking for something that only they could see. Moka was the first to turn her eyes away, trying to keep down her desires, her body's and heart's own urges. "You did well Tsukune. Admittedly, it was mostly to Gin's failure, but you were quick to capitalize on the opening. Well done." But there was nothing in her words about that feeling they had both been gripped with, as if they and only they mattered in the world. Mostly because she hoped that her Rosario's lullaby would let her sleep it off.

Tsukune however felt different. He had felt himself almost lose control, an undeniable want and lust had almost won him over.

He couldn't allow it to happen again. He wouldn't allow himself to loose his own sense of self into a petty physical desire. Not when it would invariably damn and curse his friends. Not when he was an impure half-man. "Moka-san... Maybe... maybe we should stop this? I... I mean I-"

"No!" She snapped back way too quickly for her liking, a hint of something breaking through her facade. "No, we're not stopping this. It... It's too early to stop, you're finally getting some adequate results. We have really only began to delve deep into the realm of true combat."

As the vampiress walked off and to the side, away to seal herself in peace, Kurumu followed her. The succubus was worried about her friend. She had seen several flashes of emotion on her face and none of them were what she had expected.

"Kurumu... What are you doing here? I believe I said I wanted to seal myself alone."

The succubus shrugged, piercing red eyes with her own violet ones. "I'm curious, that's all. Why are you so afraid Moka? _What_ are you so afraid of Moka?" She asked, with all the bluntness of a mace. And yet with all the piercing grace of a lance.

"Wh-what? What are you talking about Kurumu?" Moka's anger flared to hide her surprise at the succubus' ability to read her. "I am afraid of nothing! Hear me? Nothing!"

Kurumu shrugged again, ignoring the other girl's rage. "You can't hide everything from me you know. I'm not book-smart, but I can definitely understand emotions and feelings when I see'em. Besides, don't you know, you have friends here. Share your burden with us, we're all with you, until the end." And before Moka had the chance to reply, she turned around, leaving her with only her thoughts and a few parting words. "You're not the only one worried about Tsukune you know." Then she was gone.

Moka shook with anger, disbelief and frustration. How dare she, how dare she talk her down like that! She was Akashiya Moka, she was a Super Vampire! She was afraid of no one! No one!

_But you're not afraid of someone, but _for_ someone..._ a part of her noted.

Moka scoffed and picked up the silver cross that was at the same time prison and sanctuary to her. With a sigh she placed it back onto the chocker on her neck.

Light flashed around her and she felt her power drain. The feeling of weightlessness embraced her...

Moka blinked as she looked around in the woods.

Nothing had changed.

She glanced down at her chest and saw the rosario. The seal was complete. But _she_ wasn't sealed!

She broke off in a desperate run, hoping it was all a lie, that she had been sealed but instead her sealed space had transformed into a replica of the world around her.

It wasn't to be.

As soon as she broke into the clearing with everyone else, including a recovering Gin, looked at her. "Moka? What's wrong, weren't you going to seal yourself?"

Then Ruby, the most attentive of the group gasped. "Moka-san, your seal! It... has it broken?"

A new voice answered them. "It seems to be that way. Repeated unsealings and spending so long unsealed... they seemed to have worn the seal to the point where it doesn't function properly any more. If you release it again... it will probably be destroyed completely." Every head swerved to the talked, a chinese effeminate boy with white traditional clothing. "Looks like you were far too careless with such a sensitive seal Moka-san." Finished Fan-Fan.

Behind them the Headmaster sighed. **"I had hoped it wouldn't have come to this, not for a long time at least. Seems my repairing of your seal, back with Hokuto's insurection, was incomplete. I cannot repair it as it is now. In all possibility, the one you speak of as 'Outer Moka'... is gone... for good."**

"Moka-san... is gone?" Tsukune's horrified look wounded Moka far deeper than even her fear of loosing her 'sister'. And she didn't even want to know why.

**A/N: Writing to you from the camp's Communication Center, hope I kept you entertained. Soon my fic will reach its crescendo where all your questions will be answered. By the way, I **_**still**_** don't get why I'm at the Com center... My 'specialty' as a soldier is supposed to be repairing firearms but, not only I'm prohibited from carrying weaponry on me (don't ask, it involves a week straight in camp with service day after day, alcohol and a bunch of idiots who thought I'm gay, not fun, or well, it **_**was**_** funny at first). Not to mention I haven't received any training. At least I... well... **_**hijacked**_** a laptop and took it to office with me. It's a 24 hour service so I need something to keep me occupied in this damned room (which I'm prohibited from even leaving for a piss) or I swear to god the next idiot who says it's the best job in the army, will be shot. Also, the next b*****d who starts a forest fire is getting my 'flame oil drip' torture special. Along with my 'burned skin asphynxiation' death sentence. Can you imagine how it feels to be 5 days straight in service and the day you manage to get permission to exit camp have a forest fire and promptly be forced back just to sit on the ground, looking at nothing and waiting for the possible off-chance that an alarm will sound and you will go to the fire just to look good for the camera crews?**

**My ramblings aside, at least I can write properly this time. Between having to run off to fight fires (or say that I fight fires or prepare to fight fires) and 26 hours of service per day (yes, somehow I actually managed that, don't ask please, my brain still hurts), I almost felt like entering a coma. Of course, then I just had to find a cool new game called Rusty Hearts. Little customization, lots of hack-n-slash, action rpg. If you ever play, look for Kinrou or Soulblazer, my two characters. Oh, I'm also in Dynasty Warriors Online as 1 as a Wu soldier if you ever meet me. These games are always better with more friends.**

**Moving on, I hope I have answered most questions here and didn't leave too many holes in my story. I know I'm going slow right now but it's more in preparation of the following chapters which will be the greatest changes in the fic. I know I've been sticking too much to canon but soon I'll be able to split off realistically. My fic will have my own ending, which I hope isn't ripped off.  
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**Today, on this 9/6/2012, I, Soulblazer87, do hereby leave this site, possibly forever.**

**I shall not update this, or any other story.**

**I shall leave them on, however. Should you desire to follow my stories, do so in my new site of residence: www dot yourfanfiction dot com.**


	21. Rising Hope

_Rising Hope_

"Moka-san... is gone?" It was naught more than a breathless whisper, but it struck them all terribly.

But none was more horrified than Inner Moka, now having her greatest dream, her freedom, but at the greatest cost. Her Outer, the one she secretly thought of as a sister, the other half of her, warm where she was cold, kind where she was harsh, happy where she was stoic. It was her other half, thinking of a life without her felt... incomplete. As if there she had already lost a great part of what she fundamentally was.

And, once again, it was her fault. Her careless nature, believing that all would be as immutable as her vampiric nature, had brought her ruin once more. Had she not learned _anything_ from Tsukune's cruel fate? How, how could she allow herself to repeat the same mistake, be so damn naive! Of course the seal would break, it wasn't supposed to be removed in the first place! That's why her mother had given it to her, to protect her forever until she grew strong enough to protect herself! And now, now... now her last memento of her mother was...

What had possessed her to be so naive with the Rosario? Spend a day free of its clutches? Was that so important as to sacrifice Outer? Train everyone to fight on par with a vampire? Was the improbability of that thought even closely reach the price of loosing her other half?

But because of her, because of taking the rosario off for so long, _this_ had happened.

And even beyond that, there was another thing that stung, an egotistical, selfish thing.

Why had Tsukune looked so panicked, so horrified at the thought of Outer being gone?

Would he have reacted the same if it was her who was gone? Did he consider her pink-haired version more important than her?

After all, Outer was only-

**"Yes she is. Or will be unless the Rosario is repaired. As is, the seal is barely holding itself together. If someone could repair it, then the Outer Moka could be... saved. However, I am unable to perform that. I barely could repair the Rosario in the first place. No, there is someone else you must seek."** The Headmaster interrupted, giving them a sliver of hope at rescuing their friend. It wasn't much, but it was enough. Life seemed to seep back into Tsukune, his eyes widening and his posture tightening.

"Who? Speak old man, I have no patience for riddles!" Screamed the boy, taking a step forward. His fear for the loss of Moka had given him courage he would have otherwise lacked and a sense of urgency he rarely felt. But that was no usual case, this time Moka-san was in danger and he would be damned thrice again if he let her fade away like a summer's dream, not while he still had a chance to save her.

"I believe, we could be of assistance in that regard." Spoke Ling-Ling, drawing Tsukune's eyes towards her. "You see, I believe my little brother mentioned it but, our Grandfather is Touhou Fuhai... Master of youjutsu, especially the black arts and seals. In fact, who do you think taught Mikogami-sama sealing in the _first_ place?" Her tone was smug but not mocking, she didn't dare mock a Dark Lord, despite her beliefs at that moment. "Of course, we wouldn't just hand out our services. You'd have to do something for us too li-ghak!" And she spoke no more as Tsukune's right hand had transformed into its demonic form and grabbed her from her throat. It didn't dispell her smirk.

"Listen to me, Wong Ling-Ling, and listen well." Tsukune growled at her. "I don't care if you're dead, trust me I know things that would make death a _release_." His voice was furious and yet low at the same time. "You _will_ lead us to Touhou Fuhai, he _will_ restore Moka-san's seal back to perfection and you _will_ stop trying to control us. Am I clear?"

Feeling the grip relax ever so slightly, just enough for her to speak, Ling-Ling smiled evilly. "Oh, crystal clear. But, don't you forget something? Death and other threats don't affect me. Because, you know, I'm _already dead_." She mocked. "What do you think you could do to push me to submission?" She would have helped anyway, she was just interested to see how much she could push his buttons, how far Tsukune would go.

Then a ball of acid melted through the trunk of a tree next to Fan-Fan's head, making the boy yelp as he leapt away from the falling tree. Ling-Ling frowned, she had her answer; pretty _darn_ far, that's how far he'd go for the girl.

That's when she smiled. It was good. He was emotional, but his emotions were solid. He was strong but he also had power. It didn't matter if he refused to work for her family, he would work _with_ them anyway. There was no other way for him, not if he wanted to protect his friends.

"Very well Tsukune-_kun_." She stressed the suffix though there was no hostility in it. "We will help you with that. But remember, we are not the ones responcible for your troubles. It is our common enemy, Fairy Tail that has been leading to this. Think about that while I ready our transportation. In two days we shall depart for our home, the Wang Family's mansion in Hong Kong."

Releasing the woman from his grasp Tsukune fixed her with a glare. Under normal circumstances, it would have been laughable.

These were no normal circumstances. This was Tsukune being serious, _deadly_ so. Not only him either, so was every one else as well.

Yukari, Mizore, Kurumu, Ruby, all four of them considered Moka to be their friend, a great friend, someone they would go to great lengths for. Heck, Kurumu even considered her a back-up lover and that's saying a lot, considering said succubus' innocence and naivety. There was not a single member of the Newspaper Club that would have left Outer Moka fade away, save Kokoa perhaps but even then it was doubtful as she had warmed up a bit to her emerald-eyed self. Tsukune was simply more direct and forceful in his attempts.

Inner Moka however watched with trepidation. Shock from her Outer's vanishing mixed with a strange emotion that seemed akin to fear and sadness. She couldn't help but wonder, why did they react so frantically to Omote's dissappearence? Tsukune had not hesitated for even an instant, Kurumu had brought out her wings and claws and Mizore had instantly assumed her true snow-woman form. Even Yukari and Ruby had seemed ready to bolt away to their tomes of knowledge in a way to save Omote.

Self-doubt, a rare emotion for the usually jaded vampiress, wormed its way into her heart. Did they consider Omote to be more important to them than her? Did her pink-haired self have a hold over them that she did not? Was it that her naivete made her so much more desirable than her own more composed, she would never say cold or stoic, demeanor?

Did they prefer an illusion over the truth?

Did not one of them like her for _her_?

Was it at her other half's sufferance that they befriended her?

If _she_ was the one to disappear, would they act like that too or would they forget all about her?

Tsukune placed his hand on her shoulder, pulling her away from her depressing thoughts. "Don't worry Moka-san. We'll save Outer. Even if I have to beat up Touhou Fuhai myself, we'll get your rosario repaired."

Wordless, she nodded. It wasn't what he said, but rather what he didn't voice. Did he also mean to say to return things to the way they were? Where she, Inner, was sealed and her Outer was free to live? Where her awakening time was limited to combat and a bit of training? To where she had a mere back-seat to her own existence?

She nodded, subdued and still deep in thought and let herself be led away from Paradise.

They were on a tight schedule anyway; Tsukune _had_ given everyone involved in the Sports Fiasco a detention after all. Being his friend didn't exclude anyone from it, he gave _himself_ even a punishment.

Later that night, Inner Moka, for once having studied like her Outer did, sat on her bed wearing little but her satin nightgown. Not that she cared about clothes and such, she had been raised to consider them frivolous beyond the satisfaction they gave her at looking her best. Besides, her mind was preoccupied with thoughts she didn't want to face.

She had become dependant on her Rosario.

She had become dependant on its lullaby and how it would let her keep her distance from everyone.

And now, it was gone. Or inactive. Or broken.

Its state didn't matter, the fact that it didn't work anymore, _did_.

Because there was nowhere to hide now, nowhere she could escape to now.

No one she could speak to either, even if she never did.

The loss of her Outer, her sister in all, gave her a sense of mortality she had almost managed to forget, even if she never really got over it.

How could she have? She had been sealed, asleep, unconscious even, all this time. Ever after her mother... She had never been forced to face her pain, there was always the easy way out.

And she hated it, she hated herself for taking that way, even if she didn't really have a choice.

Then there was Tsukune. The damn _human_ that was kinder than he was smart and braver than he was sane!

The one person, _one person_, that could actually look at both sides of her the same damn way! It was as if he thought they were two different people but equally important to him!

She should hate him and despise him. He was a weak human that became something more only due to her power. He was nothing to her, nothing before her!

So why did it hurt so much that he was so worried about Outer going away?

Why did she herself hate it so much?

And even beyond Tsukune, Moka had finally gotten friends. Rare, for vampires, as most are rather solitary beings, not to mention that not everyone can handle their inborn pride, arrogance and sheer power.

But a succubus, a yuki-onna and a witch _could_. And they _did_. They were right there, every time she woke up. Or almost any time, because Moka certainly didn't want to remember about the Arcade right now.

"Omote... Dammit..." She sighed, looking at the worn silver cross.

It didn't look ruined, just as shiny and perfect as the day she was given it, but the signs had been there. Omote had been getting more tired easily, she appeared more often, she could even create a phantasmal body Outer could perceive and talk to. There had been the signs, but she had just ignored them.

A tiny voice inside her even asked her if she was so envious of Outer, if she, at least subconsciously, desired to usurp her pink-haired self's life.

The scary part was, she didn't know.

_'Omote... Where are you?'_

So imagine her surprise when someone _answered_. _"Did you call?"_

Some say that vampires act like cats, and usually they get pummeled. But at that moment, Moka acted exactly like a cat; letting out a high-pitched yelp and leaping straight up from her bed, almost to roof-level, her hands like claws and slit eyes wide.

The silver cross vibrated almost as if it tried to control its laughter and the eye-like gem in the center glinted in mirth. _"Hehehehe! Ura-chan, you acted just like a cat! You almost said 'Nya'! Hahahaha!"_

Said side of Akashiya Moka had the distinct impression that her other side was rolling on the pendant's imaginary floors, laughig at her.

Wait, _laughing at her_?

That would require breath and consciousness, something that in turn requires one to _exist_ and _be alive_.

The realization hit Ura-chan with all the force of a brick wall. "O-Omote?"

_"Hai-hai!"_ Giggled the previously Outer Moka. _"I tried to speak to you, but you were sooo preoccupied, I couldn't form a link! I just now managed to reach you!"_

Filing away the need to scold the pinkette on saying 'yes' only once, she focused on more important matters. "So, you're alright?" There was a lot of hope in those few words.

_"Yeah, I'm fine, see?"_ Then the rosario seemed to very quickly move around in its chain. _"It's a bit cramped up, it could use a bit of a woman's touch..."_ Now that was teasing her, and Inner knew it. Despite her skills, home economics in general was her greatest weak point, not just cooking.

Though she would brutally beat anyone who would ever speak of _that_ particular shame.

"S-so, you're still here, right?" She was hopefull now. Even if she had, at some point, wished to take Omote's place, she didn't want her gone, they were like twin sisters after all. "Headmaster said that you were gone and everyone was so worried about you. You should have seen Tsukune when he heard about it, he threatened a Dark Lord!"

And now, she just wished she had held her tongue. The way her Rosario looked at her, she recognized that look. _"Oh, so only Tsukune reacted like that? Or did you care only about how Tsukune would react?"_ Yep, she had seen it on Kurumu's face _many_ times. And it was not nearly as amusing when directed to you as when at someone else.

"O-Of course not! He was just the most extreme! Who else would threaten to beat up a Dark Lord?"

_"Well, only Tsukune would do that for us. After all, you know he lo-"_

"Don't say it! Just... just don't say it..." She cut off her other side. "Even if he is _crushing_ on us, it means _nothing_. It _will_ mean nothing in a hundred years, when he will be dead. It _will_ mean nothing once the vampire community hears of us and come to claim us. It _will_ mean less that nothing once his human heart falls for another, someone like him."

_"But you don't like it do you? So why don't you-"_

"No! I will not!" Now she snarled at the Rosario. "How dare you think that I, a Super Vampire, would ever take a mere human as my mate!"

There was no answer as the link had been cut, their minds loosing the synchronization necessary.

"How dare you..." She was just sad now, her anger vanishig faster than a mirage. "To imply that I..."

She had no more to say, she dare not say any more, and instead hugged her feet to her chest.

That _mere human_ had made her soft, she was feeling lonely without her friends near her.

Without her even realizing it, every moment she had spent in the Academy with them became more important than an entire lifetime away from them.

And that scared her. It _terrified_ her!

She wasn't meant to make friends in the first place. She wasn't good with them. She 'didn't do crowds' as the saying could go.

That's what her other side had been for; a crutch to help her grow.

But she had grown so dependant on it that nothing good had happened. She had grown weaker while in the seal and softer while outside it.

To one Akashiya 'Inner' Moka, she was between a rock and a hard place.

That night she dreamt. It was a... unique experience.

She never dreamt, not since she had been sealed and it's not like she could recall any of her child-time dreams.

The Rosario's lullaby only lulled her into a state much like sleep, but closer to a dreamless coma, only littered with flashes of awareness.

She had not had to think for a long time. She had not had to adapt or even compromise for even longer.

So, being forced into these circumstances was quite literally unexplored territory to her.

If only her precious new dreams weren't so... terrifying wasn't the exact word for it. They were quite pleasant. The scary part was wrought of her conscious mind.

Why should a _human_, a succubus, a snow woman and two witches dominate her thoughts so much?

What kind of majestic-unearthly-unstoppable power did they possess?

Most importantly, when was it that they managed to worm their way into her heart, each in their own way?

Getting up with a sigh, Moka went on autopilot as she experienced her first morning ritual in almost a decade.

_'Normalcy is overrated...'_ She thought annoyed at having to do all these chores first thing in the morning, yet at the same time enjoying her newfound sense of 'self'.

Really, who knew what torture it is to keep hair as long as her's at perfect condition? Shampoo, wash off, conditioner, wash off, dry, comb them several times over...

And she still couldn't get it as well as Outer! She 'harrumphed' and declared it good enough, ignoring her 'Outer's' giggles.

It had been... weird... to hear her giggle like that. But that's the benefit of being together for so long; though they had had a 'fight', they still remained as close as ever.

They had no one else after all. Their family rejected them, humans hated them and ayashi envied them.

Only a few managed to get over their hate and fear to get to know either of them. Inner Moka couldn't decide if that was good or bad. She had at long last gained her greatest dream, friendship, but at what cost? At what emotional trials?

Moka sighed as she checked herself once again in the mirror, wearing her school's uniform and preparing for a day as a teenage girl going through high school...

The most natural thing of them all. _'Yeah, right.'_ She sneered. Nothing normal about her, not even her going to school!

_"Oh, don't be like that Ura-chan! Or is it Omote-chan now?"_ Wondered the formerly Outer Moka in her characteristic bubbly way. At least it managed to get a smile and a playful snap at her from her stoic other side.

Of course, the pink-haired Moka wasn't as cheery or bubbly as she made herself out to be. No matter how positive one's outlook on life is, there come rough times where seriousness and stoicism are needed.

That's why she made herself out happier than she was. _Someone_ had to be happy and cheery lest they all descended into the angst and sorrow that had been haunting them.

Someone had to be happy for them all and she would be that one. Who else would take it? Her silver-haired half would never be caught _dead_ making jokes and bringing smiles. She was more used to bringing her heel down on others.

Especially perverts, as she was doing at that moment against a rather... doggy... male.

The silver rosario reduced Moka's power significantly but she was _still_ a vampire as Gin was all too sad to note. His poor camera would be remembered.

That didn't stop him from taking out another one and _doggedly_ _hounding_ after Moka.

The day passed relatively quietly. Mostly due to the shock and awe of seeing Moka released because she was nowhere _near_ being subtle. Be it acing classes, smashing perverts or aserting herself in club activities, nothing was untouched by Inner Moka's rather... unique... temperament.

And she was supposed to be quite subdued. They never knew she acted out so much more out of a defence mechanism rather than her own desires. Well, Kurumu knew, but she also knew that time did a wonderful job of helping people get over their problems. First the vampiress would have to accept the problems she was facing and then they would talk about them.

Tsukune on the other hand was much more frantic than the rest of the club. While they had relaxed significantly after being assured that there was a way to save Moka, not to mention witnessing the Rosario's lively activity on their own as proof, the group's sole human had no such intentions.

First, there was the problem with that spy they had, still obsessing over it, despite how much it stressed his fragile psychology. On top of that, he had his own duties to perform and his club activities and own homework as well. Not to mention Nekonome-sensei trying to make him class president still. Then there was his own worrying about his family. They hated him, yes, but he didn't hate them back, that was for sure. But now he had made a name with Fairy Tale, no way they would ignore someone who took down one of their main bases. There was no way Fairy Tale would ignore a 'weakness' as large as that for long.

There was also his growing thirst, lust almost, for Moka and her blood. Ever since tasting it, it had been getting slightly worse as time went by. What he had had was a cold, dead, sample ripped painfully from her. Yet, it had tasted _so_ good! It had tasted like every part of him was pleasured at the same time! It had felt like a minature sun had erupted within him but never hurting him. It felt like he had found his calling, what he was meant to do.

_"So, what if I_ _could have some of her warm-fresh-living blood, given freely?"_

The pencil in his hand snapped as his eyes dilated and his breaths came out heavy, panting, wanting.

It would taste like a piece of Heaven!

His Divine Lock rattled, trying to restrain his growing power, even strained and damaged as it had become lately. It took several jerky, unsteady motions to place the MP3 earplugs and press 'Play'.

Several seconds passed by before his motions were subdued and calmed enough for him to relax the tension in his muscles.

"I really need to talk to the Headmaster about these episodes... God, I can't keep thinking about Moka-san like that..." A weary sigh came from his lips as he looked back down on his homework. "Later, after I'm done."

'Later' would never come.

Tsukune's Inner Demon might be suppressed by the deteriorating Lock and even pushed back by the Siren's melody, but it wasn't defeated. It simply changed its avenue of attack. Instead of focusing on the boy's rage, it focused on his lust, knowing how easy it was to confuse it with love. Along with some very careful suggestions and helping the boy forget about some minor things, it was working wonders.

It was growig stronger and stronger every day. The Lock suppressed it and that foolish boy tried to depend on his other power, but they forgot something very simple, he and the Headmaster.

Demons feed on evil and corruption. There was nothing more corrupted than the twisting of one of Creation's Favoured into a blood-drinking parasite filled with unthinking fury. There were few things more evil than a cadaver-eater.

So while the boy got high on its vampiric-power trips, the demon itself bid its time and schemed, using the boy's own fears against him in creative nightmares, when they boy was unable to meditate and not listening to that damned song.

Little by little, the demon was wearing down Tsukune's mental resilience.

That did not mean it was easy, but it was definitely a good thing the boy managed to get himself into trouble constantly. Most Demonblooded who retained their minds managed it because they spent more than a couple of years secluded from others so they could come to terms with what they were. Others managed it by setting small goals that went hand-in-hand with their Demonic personalities, like wiping out entire groups or settlements of those who hurt them and caused them to turn. Not to mention that most of them were adults by that time and pure-blooded, not half-breeds like that boy. Instead Tsukune had to suffer through his puberty in a situation he was not used to, faced with constant struggle he did not wish for and unable to be given respite.

For that alone, Fairy Tail would be spared, at least at the begining, the demon thought. Or they would be used and milked dry for resources to change the world.

Megalomania was another characteristic of the demon, so diametrically opposed with the more humble mortal form it resided in. Lust and Love, Anger and Courage, Rage and Perseverence.

Good and Evil? The demon worried about it no longer. It was Aono Tsukune's 'antithesis', his 'nemesis', his red-and-black opposite. It grinned, despite the mental chains that weighed on it.

After all, they were covered in rust...

Elsewhere, Shirayuki Mizore and Kurono Kurumu were doing something few would expect of them. Not that they were playing hooky, but that they were in fact... _meditating_.

While Mizore had chosen the coldest waterfall she could get her hands on in Paradise while Kurumu had chosen a nearby rock, both of them were deep in meditation.

At least Ruby was there to maintain a protective barrier against possible predators who thought them easy meals.

Both girls needed to refine their control over their powers. They had a lot of youki but relatively low control over it. Exactly the opposite of a witch; low amounts but with such control that reality bowed to them.

Which was why Ruby was there instead of another succubus or yuki-onna or even another combat-teacher.

Kurumu's power would be the easiest to control, at least theoretically. Her power depended on her imagination and strong will to weave illusions to befuddle her opponents. However, a drastic or unrealistic illusion would be easily seen through as such and disregarded. Not to mention that she still depended on locking eyes with her enemy to use her abilities, something that a more aware or skilled enemy would make sure to avoid. So she had to meditate and find out how her youki reaches out to other things but to do that she first had to gain a sense of 'self' and 'ego' far beyond what she had at that moment.

She had to feel the entirety of herself at the same time, without the help of external aid.

It is a little known fact, but a body, human or ayashi, cannot actually feel two areas of it at the same time. Or rather, it can't do so accurately and instead switches its 'sensory area' extremely quickly, giving the illusion of it. But in fact, a person cannot tell their left leg and right arm hurt at the exact same time; their brain only processes one signal at a time, usually the strongest.

Kurumu's training was about overcoming it and having her 'mind' perceive herself as 'one'. To do that would require intense focus as she would have to maitain feeling on each and every part of her body at the same time, without forgetting about any. Certainly a hard feat to accomplish, but Ruby was sure that it would help the succubus gain ever better control of her power, as well as awareness of herself and her limits. Never a good thing to overstep those, she had learned that lesson _very well_.

Mizore on the other hand... She simply had _too much_ power to control. Most yuki onna her age could just freeze something, not create constructs of ice from nothingness. Even Mizore's mother could only form simple constructs at that age and she was considered a prodigy. Mizore could create _working mechanisms_, even if that required enough focus that she couldn't do it in combat.

So there was no lack of 'focus' that limited Mizore as much as an inability to control and channel her power properly. For the young girl even the lowest techique had to be observed closely lest they were overloaded and went berserk, a certain incident with had own ice clones trying to kill her easily came to mind. Beyond that, Mizore lacked confidence. Despite her training and impressive skill, she still saw herself as 'weak', the weakest of the group now that Tsukune had become so strong. That definitely didn't help much -except those maiden dreams of her where Tsukune comes to save her like a knight in shining armor before giving her all the children she would ever wish, along with the more pleasurable benefits of procreation.

Despite her controlled demeanor, Mizore was every bit a growing girl during puberty and her hormones were a pretty large part of her existence.

Understandably it was hard to restrain the urge to fight with Kurumu when the succubus giggled at her failed attempt at meditation, especially since the damned 'boob-monster' seemed to know _exactly_ why she failed.

"Kurumu-san, focus please and stop thinking about Tsukune-san! You're too young for that! And you Mizore-san, try again, reach out to your core and try that trick again!" Ruby's voice reached the two. While the elder witch was certainly still her good-old masochistic self, she could be a slavedriver when the situation called for it. Or when _ordered_ to.

Sighing, the two girls tried to focus again. At least they didn't have to go through the endless amount of paperwork Tsukune was forced to.

But Ruby wasn't so cheery, even if she hid it. Things were moving, too fast in some cases too slow in others. Her master's plans hung in the balance and she had to make sure they managed to succeed. Failure was worse than their deaths. It wasn't an option even.

Yet these two girls, easily considered prodigies of their respective race, were blocked from their true potential by such pathetically aggravating things such as what they considered to be their own limits. Not their _true_ limits, but rather what they perceived them to be as such. Which were, in fact, quite a bit lower than what they could possibly do if trained properly.

Then again, no child should be forced into situations calling for such training so early in their lives. There was nothing else to do however; these children were not pawns to be tossed aside carelessly, they were bishops and knights in a vast game of chess played for many decades. Sacrificing them was not an option, they were irreplaceable pieces. Even if she killed her heart and friendship, there was no way she would let them die.

So she had to train them, and if that meant revealing a few witch-only tricks to them, then so be it. Kurumu was the easiest to train, if most time-consuming. The succubus would be forced to breach her mental defences, something rather hard to do considering the depths of insanity she had fallen to before. A sane mind is much more vulnerable than a mind broken and remade, she was proof of that.

But Mizore didn't have it so easy. Her unique temperament would also call for a unique training. Mimetic training? No, copying wouldn't cut it. Mnemonic? No, too little time.

What to do, what to do?

Ruby's eyes fell on one of Mizore's many ninja-related manga and a grin came to her face.

Oh yes, that would do _nicely_.

Elsewhere Fan-Fan and Ling-Ling were looking outside a window in the male's room.

"Nee-san... why didn't you push for Tsukune-san to join us?" He asked his sister, curious. He couldn't be blamed; Tsukune would become a major asset for whatever force enlisted his help. Naturally, he wanted him for themselves.

"Because I don't have to." She replied. "You have much to learn still, little brother. An unwilling servant is an servant that won't hesitate to betray you. A willing ally, even if not officially so, is one that will stand with you no matter what. Tsukune-san isn't weak enough to become our servant anyway, he is at least deserving of the rank of 'ally'. He doesn't hold the degree of command you do, of course, and he lacks our forces and resources, but he is a worthy asset nonetheless. Sometimes, a peace offering is enough and, if not, he is as controlled by his desire to protect these women as he is by his sense of honor. We could use that to secure his help until he realizes we have the same goal in mind."

"Oh, I see... But, what if he doesn't help us in the end? What then, nee-san?"

"Then, little brother of mine... _then_ we scheme. And find another way to fight because things... they are not looking good back home. We are loosing ground every day, we need to regroup. Father and Mother are doing their best, but Fairy Tale is just too well entrenched."

"So why did you choose to wait two days, nee-san? I know we could have left the same day."

Wong Ling-Ling smiled sadly at him. He was too young still. Too naive. He lacked the bonds these people had, he lacked the very perception of 'death' that these people had learned. He couldn't quite yet understand how fleeting life was. "Because, little brother, this fight is not theirs, yet. I am not wasting time, I'm giving them time to say their final goodbyes and come to terms with what their lives will be from now on. This is quite possibly the last time they will know of 'peace'..."

The very next day, most of the Newspaper Club was aboard one of the Wong family's planes, waiting for take off. And of course, Ruby was wearing a hand-made flight attendant's outfit, even though she couldn't go. Neither could Kokoa, supposedly because she had been suddenly swamped with lessons.

Aboard the plane, Kurumu and Mizore were hugging each other, fully convinced that a chunk of metal couldn't possibly fly. Amusingly enough, even though Yukari was aware of what laws exactly allowed airplanes to fly, even she was terrified of the actual act of it. Hell, even Tsukune wasn't exactly comfortable.

Still, they were off the ground and flying quickly to their destination. Soon, they all hoped, soon everything would be back to normal.

All of them? No, not all. Or, not entirely, to be exact.

Moka wasn't so sure herself. She was _supposed_ to be sure of it, but she just couldn't convince herself.

Especially not when that damned 'ladies-man' Tsukune walked up to her and told her, with a straight face at that, that he wished Inner and Outer would become one some day because they both were precious to him.

She couldn't even growl at him! Just talking to that guy leeched her of all her will to fight him!

Rage spent, she spent her time pouring herself soft drinks, attempting to focus on the fizzy refreshment rather than what that _idiot_ was doing to her.

"Geeze... I'm almost completely focused and then he just up and says things like that... Damn, Tsukune..."

_"Tee-hee, sounds like someone's conflicted, Omote-chan!"_ Giggled 'Ura' Moka. _"That sigh sounded too soft for you!"_

Moka sighed again, looking outside the craft's windows. At least it was a nice view. "Soft huh? Maybe I am..."

_"Omote-chan... what's wrong? You can tell me, right?"_

"It's just that... you may be right... I _am_ getting soft. Look at me, I had resolved myself to a life in the seal, it wasn't so bad, not really... And then... and then this had to happen. I get out more and more every day and I feel... I feel _nice_... I feel I have _friends_. And now? Now I'm always on the outside and it... It's making me soft, it's making me _weak_! I am a Super Vampire, an S-class monster, I'm practically _royalty_!" Her tone got louder and louder until, with a sigh, all her energy seemed to leave her. "And now I'm becoming more and more like a normal woman. And I can't find it in me to _care_ about it. Omote, I'm loosing my will to fight... It's you who's supposed to be on the outside, not me. I'm just the fighter, not the-"

_"Oh, would you stop that!"_ 'Inner' Moka pouted angrily at her other side. _"What 'soft', what 'weak'. Ura-chan, you are getting stronger, don't you see it? Besides, what if we become weaker. We have friends now, and Tsukune-san. Isn't that more important? The Ura-chan _I_ know would never let something like this get her down. Didn't you say it before? 'If you feel you are weak, then train until you get stronger.'? To Tsukune-san at that! Follow your own advice!"_

"O-Omote, what are you saying?"

_"Well..."_ Now she seemed apologetic. _"Usually, you are the one to give me courage and strength, so I thought, this time, maybe I could help you. I _know_ I am weak, Ura-chan. I know I'm not a fighter or as beautiful as you or as strong or as smart... But I _try_. You taught me that. So, if you are forgetting who you are, I'll just have to remind you, right? Like you did for me."_

"Omote... you-"

"Moka! Come here, it's got chinese food!" Kurumu's over-enthusiastic voice called from the front of the aircraft.

Sighing in dismay, knowing full well that if she didn't go, then they'd come looking for her and asking questions she was _not_ going to answer, Moka put the conversation behind her, for the time being anyway.

Unbeknownst to them all, a disagreement was taking place in Hong Kong.

"Why didn't you let me do it, Akuha-sama! Up there, taking care of them all would be a easy!" Screamed one incessed Yoshii Kiria.

That only earned him a sigh. He was always too impatient, too quick to rush into a foolish plan if the name 'Aono' came up in it. He could scheme, did so many times in fact, but he simply lacked the patience and cold logic to see it through, always abandoning the best-laid plans in favour of blindly rushing in. "Do you honestly think a little gremlin would have taken care of them? Or that they would be unable to defeat the few harpies you command?" She fixed him with a cold glare and crimson darkness played behind her irises. "Do _not_ question me, _child_. I will deliver you Aono Tsukune and you _will_ fight him. However, if you disobey me..." The threat remained unvoiced but present nonetheless. She might have been as vile as one could be and extremely patient to boot, but that deranged fool's constant requests were wearing thin on her nerves. She dismissed him with a wave and turned back to her other 'pet projects'.

"Just you wait Akuha-_sama_..." Kiria growled. "I will soon be strong enough to dismember everything in my way to vengeance..." His insane mumbles continued as he went deeper down the complex, where the science department was placed.

He had a certain 'cure' to inspect. He grinned in his insane way. Soon, he would 'cure' himself of his 'incomplete state' and become pureblood, no, more than pureblood!

He would become undefeatable!

**A/N: Survival's Log, day 4: Not a single living soul in the entire damn camp and I'm still left behind to manage Comms...**

**Yeah, four days in camp (you all professional soldiers know how annoying this can be), with a 24-hour service every day, just one week before being relocated next to my home. Hell, I can see tumbleweeds passing before my window, which is weird because the climate here is rather temperate. I can't even manage the inspiration to write, possibly because I haven't done so for a **_**month!**_

**My muse more-or-less put a gun on my head, chained me on my chair and had me start writing.**

**On the other hand, I finally broke the 100review mark! I don't think I have to remind you people, but every review you write, especially long, detailed, juicy on es, makes me write faster and better. So review away, even of earlier chapters. Eventually, I will go back to correcting the typos, but for now I want to move on with the story. I think I've been focusing a bit too much on Moka and her troubles, so please let me know if I do. I want all three girls to be more or less equal (or as equal as possible since Moka is two people technically).**

**This chapter is mostly a cliffhanger before the fun really takes off. I removed the gremlin because, really, what would it have done? Annoy an already pissed of Moka? Besides, Akuha plans for them to let their guard down as much as possible before taking what she wants.**

**One reviewer said that he reads stories for the action and happy endings. Well, I hope you will have more action these few next chapters, especially with all the chaos that is going to ensue. As for happy endings... well, heroes have to be put through the wringer first right? So, don't loose hope and keep on reading. I promise it will be worth it.  
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**Today, on this 9/6/2012, I, Soulblazer87, do hereby leave this site, possibly forever.**

**I shall not update this, or any other story.**

**I shall leave them on, however. Should you desire to follow my stories, do so in my new site of residence: www dot yourfanfiction dot com.**


	22. Meetings and Farewells

_Meetings and Farewells_

Landing in Hong Kong was, as expected for first-time-fliers, a terrifying experience.

Kurumu in fact lept off her seat, she had 'forgotten' fastening her seat belt, and straight into Tsukune's lap once the wheels touched down.

Mizore instead preferred to simply show up behind Tsukune, having used her ninja skills to sneak right behind him, and hold on to him for dear life.

As was expected, the killing aura that emanated from the angry vampiress was impressive, even while she restrained her youki.

_"Ura-chan, your aura, you're thinking about killing them."_

That only caused said 'Ura-chan' to harrumph and think her reply annoyed. _"Damn right I am, doing such an embarassing thing!"_

Instead of terrifying Omote, as had been her original plan however, that just cause the pink-haired vampiress to sweat-drop and sigh about how dishonest Ura was being.

"Master Fan-Fan, Lady Ling-Ling, please, this way." A man wearing an impeccable human disguise and black suit called the group of four over to a large limousine waiting for them.

Tsukune was offered to enter first, but him being ever-cautious, he refused and instead let Ling-Ling go first, he knew that despite her being 'already dead', she was important to Fan-Fan. He wouldn't risk her safety.

Which means that, once she entered and situated herself in the luxurious leather seats, the car was safe to enter.

The smirk on the zombie's face told him that she knew of what he was doing, and most importantly she approved.

"My, my, Tsukune-kun." She cooed at him. "Ever the gracious guest and ever the vigilant warden..."

Tsukune grunted as he looked around. "I've learned that one can never be too careful." And many scenes passed through his mind at that. Mizore's abduction, Kurumu's abduction, Moka's abduction, Moka lieing almost defeated on the floor, Mizore bleeding heavily from her stomach... There was no way he was letting his guard down, even for a second.

Mizore however had a different opinion. Gently laying a hand on his shoulder, she could see him tense before relaxing at her touch. "Tsukune, it's alright. The car is clear." What could she say? Ruby's training regime had helped her greatly, despite it only being for a few days. Forming a mirror of ice under the car to check out any possible placement of explosives or irregularities had been child's play.

Breathing a sigh of relief Tsukune let himself relax, at least physically. Mentally, he still kept his guard up, as well as his supernatural radar. There may not be a bomb under the car, but there could be enemies anywhere, be they of Fan-Fan's family or their enemies'. "Thanks, Mizore-chan."

Of course, the fact that he praised Mizore alone for her help, had Kurumu pouting at him and claiming the snow-woman was trying to scheme her way into his heart. Their now-patented childish brawl started almost immidiately after.

"Would you stop this immature shameful behaviour of yours?" Moka interrupted the two arguing ayashi, looking coldly at them. "Between such pointless fights, your shameless attempts at seduction and your already annoying antics, I am half considering showing you your places."

"Oh my, Moka, are you jealous of our _skinship_ with Tsukune-kun?" Taunted Kurumu as she hugged said boy to her chest. The vampiress was so funny to rile up. Even if she got annoyed enough to hit her, it was more of an annoyance than pain; Moka never hit nerves, only muscles. "You don't have to hold back, come on and join us..." That last came out with a breathy whisper that had poor Tsukune struggle to contain himself.

Watching the uptight and stoic woman sputter in denial was highly amusing for everyone there, even if poor Fan-Fan never got the joke.

Sensing that Moka's embarassement was reaching critical levels (and not wanting a meltdown... yet) Kurumu quickly raised her hands in defence. "Oh come on Moka, it's just teasing, teasing! It's normal amongst friends you know!" Of course, she didn't have to say that most friends don't have anywhere near as much innuendo in their teasing, nor that they _meant_ most of of that innuendo.

Only Mizore knew just what Kurumu really felt about their friends. With any luck though, that would change.

Moka however was preoccupied with more important matters. _Friends_. That's what Kurumu had said and she had learned to trust the succubus' word, if not her rather questionable morality.

How _could_ they consider her a friend? A _friend_!

She was Akashiya Moka, royalty amongst royalties, Super Vampire!

Besides, they preferred her other side, didn't they? That's why they were so frantic to restore her seal, didn't they?

So how could they claim her as a 'friend'? How could they, nay, how _dare_ they link her to them like this?

No, she had to stop thinking like this! Thoughts like this disrupted her focus.

_Pain like this... turns me to a normal person..._

She had to focus, remove her emotions and control herself.

Repair her seal. Yes, that was all she had to do, repair her seal and surrender her existence to her Outer.

That was all she had to do, all she _could_ do.

Only then would this pain go away.

So she looked outside, ignoring everyone, much to their surprise as they did expect her to retaliate physically or at least verbally to Kurumu's barb.

People passed them by as they swerved, undetected, through their crowds. Buildings, people, animals.

Nothing.

No one knew of their existence beyond the limited ring of their society. No one would bat an eye if they disappeared.

Nothing.

They were all born, aged and deceased and not a single person would look their way.

Such ephemeral, unimportant existences.

Her muscles clenched.

Nothing.

There was nothing.

There would be nothing.

So small, as if they didn't exist.

They didn't exist.

A flicker of existence in an endless eternity.

That was what she had been meant for. She was 'immortal'. 'Eternal'.

No one else would be close to her.

Only her family, only they.

She would forever be...

Nothing.

Void.

Eternal.

A hand wrapped around her shoulders, shaking even while she tried to control her shivers. Familiar, _too familiar_, warmth seeped into her, beating away the cold wind that had captivated her.

"Moka-san? Are you alright? You know we'll always be here for you, right?"

"No. You won't. You are but a human, after all." There was venom in her voice and it hurt Tsukune so... She could feel it in his flinch.

His arm didn't leave her, even when she tried to swat it away. "You are mortal. You _all_ are."

"Oi, Moka! There's no need to be so mean about it!" Raged Kurumu, her emotions always worn on her sleeves. But even Mizore had a look of anger, or was it hurt, on her face.

Wong Ling-Ling made to speak, she could use this opportunity. After all, Tsukune might be an ally, but if she could make him a servant, it would be better right? If what she knew of human psychology was correct, she could turn the tables.

She was not given the chance as he didn't reel back from Moka, instead pulled her to him a little bit tighter. "That's true but... Mother once told me something..." His voice was low and melancholic. "Death may take everything around you, but you only loose them when you forget about them." There was something else now in his chestnut eyes. "You would never forget us Moka-san. So, you see, whether we are all mortal or not, as long as you remember us, we'll always be with you. We are all friends after all, right?"

Seeing the vampiress' surprised look, and knowing she would at the very least think about Tsukune's words, Kurumu smirked. "Oh Tsukune!" She cooed at him. "You can be more than friends with me. You can be _anything_ with me! A-ny-thing!" To finalize her seduction, she leaned forward just so, giving him a good view of her bountiful assets, bouncing as they were from the less than perfect road.

Having had enough and knowing full-well when to stop Kurumu's seduction, Mizore bopped her friend lightly. "Control yourself around my husband boob-monster." She knew Tsukune still hadn't come to grips with who and what he was; pushing him too far, too fast, would lead to him rejecting them. "Find a more quiet and decent place to do _that_." Of course, that didn't mean that she was any better at resisting a chance to seduce the boy.

And while the two girls bickered, again, Tsukune valiantly tried to stop them and two chinese youkai watched on in amusement (one of them with a dash of trepidation as well), Akashiya Moka wondered and hoped.

She knew it was pointless to hope, there was no such thing as 'miracles', but... even so.

She didn't want to forget. She didn't want to loose any of this.

These few people who, to her, had become more important than her own heritage.

**A/N:**

**Sorry for the delay and the poor quality. On the better side of things, I'm free from the army, soon I should be back in authoring shape. Hope to catch all of you then. Until that time, please review and help me fix the chapter.  
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**Today, on this 9/6/2012, I, Soulblazer87, do hereby leave this site, possibly forever.**

**I shall not update this, or any other story.**

**I shall leave them on, however. Should you desire to follow my stories, do so in my new site of residence: www dot yourfanfiction dot com.**


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